Jai Opetaia expressed his frustration for defending his IBF Cruiserweight title against the nearby Player Claudio Squoo on May 13, rather than staring at WBC and WBO champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez in a unification. Opetaia sound helpless, like a babyand cannot see the solution to his problem.
He shows signs of learned helplessness. His problem would be easily solved if he dared to abandon the Cruiserweight section to look for the gold mine awaiting heavyweight.
Hearn’s rationale
Promoter Eddie Hearn says Opetaia’s title defense against #14 IBF-Ranked Squoeo (17-0, 9 COs) is to keep him busy and to make his popularity to the gold coast. This is where Opetaia (27-0, 21 COs) fought earlier this year and fell in the fourth round in the Gold Coast Convention Center, Broadbeach, Australia, on January 8.
Boxing fans on social media do not buy the excuses of Hearn about why Opetaia fights the little famous 34-year-old squo, while seeing this man as another bum and seeing a pattern that forms with how he matches.
Despite Opetaia having a record of 27-0, he fought only one good opponent during his ten-year professional career, 39-year-old Mairis Briedis, and he almost lost him in their re-broadcast in May. It is clear that it was not a good look for Opetaia that struggled to beat the 40-Ish Briedis and forced to run when the pressure he put at the bottom became too much off the track.
Now that Briedis has retired, the Cruiserweight section is completely barren of talent. Zurdo Ramirez is the only decent fighter in the weight class, apart from Opetaia. Not surprisingly, none of the top lightweight weights is interested in moving up because there is no one to fight in the division to make money. Cruiserweight is seen as a section where fighters who do not have the talent to fight against heavyweight choose to stay.
“Back to the Gold Coast, defends his (IBF Cruiserweight) world title. That’s what Mick and everyone wants to do. We know the big fights are coming, the Zurdos,” the promoter Eddie Hearn said Dazn boxTalk about Jai Opetaia’s plans. “The plan is to be unchanged and united, but this man wants to stay busy.
‘The event in January at the Gold Coast was wild (against David Nyika). We want to go there and defend the world title in May. It is important to look good before trying to pick up the other belts by the end of 2025. I really want him to fight regularly this year.
It sounds good that Hearn says about his rationale because he let Jai Opetaia fight Claudio Squoeo fight, but it wasn’t with the supporters. They see it as Opetaia that milks its IBF title against another tomato can after his recent wins on similar fighters, Nyika and Jack Massey.
Opetaia’s frustration
“We want the Zurdo fight, but also, Badou Jack Veg (Ryan) Rozicki, who will arrive soon. It’s still a fight. We need to get all the belts before we inevitably move to heavyweight,” Hearn says.
“It’s a little frustrating. I chased these associations. I chased this Zurdo battle, and it still didn’t come. I don’t know why, ‘says Opetaia.
“You’re an animal, that’s why” Hearn says of why Jai can’t get the unification against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and the other champion champion, Badou Jack. “The best should be to fight the best. He (Zurdo) has two belts. I have two belts (IBF and Ring). I tried to strive, but it doesn’t make sense why it doesn’t get over the line.
If Opetaia is not happy to fight the opposition fed to him, he must already move to heavyweight and test himself against the best in that section. It is not going to work for him to beg WBC, WBC and WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr uksyk to give him a free title without working for it. If Opetaia wants to fight for a belt and make the Great Dollar, he has to face Joseph Parker, Filip Hrgovic, Fabio Wardley and Martin Bakole to earn the fight.
Last updated on 03/21/2025
