Jai Opetaia has yet to meet his match in the boxing ring. 28 men have stepped up to the plate, and only six have made it to the final bell. All have fallen to defeat at the hands of the IBF and The Ring World Cruiserweight Champion.
The Australian-Samoan knockout artist resumes his journey towards undisputed world champion status this weekend as he defends his throne against mandatory challenger Hüseyin Cinkara (23-0 with 19 KOs) at the Gold Coast Convention Centre – live on Stan PPV.
Ranked as the world’s number one cruiserweight boxer by ESPN, Boxing Base and The Ring Magazine, Jai Opetaia (28-0 with 22 KOs) will have his hands full on Saturday, December 6. Cinkara also boasts an unblemished career and has dynamite in his hands, which has seen him compile an eerily similar record to his upcoming foe.
Australian boxing legend Danny Green will be ringside in the commentary booth when the highly anticipated fight goes down. In an exclusive interview with Fight News Australia, “The Green Machine” shared his view of Opetaia’s rise to the top.
“There is no one you can compare with Jai Opetaia,” Green declared.
“He’s definitely the best boxer we’ve got – not just for Australian boxing – he’s the best cruiserweight in the world by far.”
Opetaia is a fourth-generation boxer who became Australia’s youngest-ever Olympic boxer at just 16 years of age. Originally hailing from Sydney, NSW, he now resides on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
Now a decade into his professional career, the 30-year-old has been dominant since joining the paid ranks back in 2015. Under the tutelage of his father, Tapu Opetaia, and managed by Tasman Fighters’ Mick Francis, Jai claimed multiple regional and national titles before cementing himself as a force to be reckoned with on the world stage in recent years.
Before he shot to fame, however, a young Opetaia caught the eye of Green.
“I knew Jai way, way back when he was a young gun,” he said.
“I’ve always kept abreast of what he was doing because I knew this kid was going to be a champion. I knew he was going to be a world champion and I knew he was going to dominate whatever he wanted to do.”
Australian boxing is in desperate need of its next big global superstar. There is no doubt that the talent pool Down Under runs deep, yet it has been a long time since an Aussie reached the heights hit by the stars of yesteryear, such as Jeff Fenech, Danny Green and Anthony Mundine.
In recent years, a swathe of Australian fighters have become world champions, but none have quite broken through and captivated international fight fans. George Kambosos Jr and Tim Tszyu were arguably the biggest names in the business at a time; however, both men have been dethroned by foreign opposition.
While Opetaia is the number one-ranked cruiserweight, he is one of three title holders in the division, alongside Mexico’s WBA and WBO champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (48-1-0) and 42-year-old three-division kingpin Badou Jack (29-3-3), who holds the WBC crown.
Opetaia undeniably has all the skills to remain at the top of the mountain and reach a level of international notoriety that has eluded his peers. The sky is the limit for the hulking southpaw – if he can get past Cinkara.
When asked if unifying the cruiserweight division was on the cards for Opetaia in 2026, Green claimed there could be a significant roadblock standing in his way.
“Ramirez wants nothing to do with Jai,” he said..
“And Badou Jack? I would be very surprised if Badou Jack defended against Jai.”
It is unclear what the future holds for the cruiserweight division. Despite the uncertainty, Opetaia has made his intentions clear – he wants all the belts. He has publicly called out the remaining cruiserweight champions, and if he continues his winning ways, they can’t hide forever.
Watch Opetaia vs Cinkara on Saturday, December 6. The main card will begin at 6:00pm AEDT, and is available to order now on Stan Pay-Per-View.
The event will take place at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, and tickets are on sale now via Ticketek.
MAIN CARD
Jai Opetaia vs Hüseyin Cinkara – IBF & The Ring World Cruiserweight titles
Justis Huni vs Kiki Toa Leutele – WBO Global Heavyweight & WBC Australasian Heavyweight titles
Max McIntyre vs Jed Morris – WBC Australasian Super Middleweight title
Jake Wyllie vs Paul Fleming
Teremoana Teremoana vs German Garcia Montes
Benny Mahoney vs Winston Hill – IBF Pan Pacific Super Welterweight title
Jason Moloney vs Herlan Gomez – WBC Australasian Bantamweight title
