Australia’s cruiserweight wrecking machine Jai Opetaia is hoping to get the support of the country’s sporting public when he returns for a maiden home title defence.
Opetaia has emerged as the biggest name in boxing’s 200-pound division, winning the world title and pummeling challengers over the past two years.
The destructive southpaw has earned international acclaim for his skills and power but, despite now being regarded as the country’s pound-for-pound best fighter, hasn’t received the same level of attention of some of his compatriots from Aussie fans and media.
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Opetaia hopes to change that when he takes on the undefeated Huseyin Cinkara at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre on January 8 in a mandatory defence of his IBF cruiserweight title.
The 29-year-old turned in what many consider to be one of Australian sport’s toughest efforts when fighting through a badly broken jaw to secure an upset victory to unseat world champion Mairis Briedis at the same venue back in 2022.
“We’ve been pushing for these home fights for quite a while now so it’s good to have the opportunity, back at the Convention Centre as well, it feels like it’s where the international stuff started,” Opetaia told Sporting News.
“I feel like a whole different version of myself, in the ring and outside.
“Hopefully it’s the start of something and Australia gets behind, the media get behind it and we can do these things more regularly.
“Bringing world title fights to our country is what it’s all about, putting on these big stages, opening doors for other Australians and Pacific Islanders to fight on.
“I’m honoured to be at the level I’m at and fight on these cards and main event them.
“Australia needs to work together. Promoters, all the news outlets, they all need to work together. There’s more than one fighter here in Australia. If we all do this properly, we can compete with the rest of the world.
“I’ve been there, I’ve seen them all, they’re not better than us. We’re rubbing shoulders with the greatest fighters in the world. I come home and I just think, ‘We can all be there.’”
Following more than a year off after first winning the IBF and The Ring titles, Opetaia destroyed Englishmen Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro in back-to-back bouts, before again defeating Briedis by unanimous decision in their May rematch.
The Gold Coast resident was most recently in action last month, this time bludgeoning another Englishman, Jack Massey, on the way to a sixth-round stoppage.
Cinkara, 39, boasts a formidable 22-0 record with 18 knockouts.
Despite his opponent’s age and lack of experience at the world level, Opetaia assures fans he’ll be bringing his best yet again.
“I know what that hunger is and I know that feeling of, ‘This is my opportunity,’” he said.
“That’s why all these guys that I fight, I come correct, I always perform and I take it very serious.
“He’s never fought anyone like me. All my opponents, I watch their fights back, they’ve never fought anyone like me, so it’s hard to go off how they’re going to come out or what they’re going to do.
“And I feel like they think that as well, they think ‘Jai’s different so what am I going to do against him?’
“We’ll see what he does. I adapt in the ring.
“I train hard and make sure I’m ready for anything he brings and I do my adapting and find my range in the ring.”
Should he get by Cinkara, Opetaia is aiming to line up a bout with Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, the Mexican fighter who, when defeating Chris Billam-Smith last week, added the WBO title to the WBA strap he already held.
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