Jai Opetaia (right) cracks challenger Jack Massey with a left hand. Opetaia retained RING and IBF cruiserweight crowns by sixth-round stoppage on October 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Credit: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions
Jai Opetaia had little trouble in his latest championship defense.
The reigning RING and IBF cruiserweight king turned down the challenge of England’s Jack Massey. Opetaia stopped Massey en route to a sixth round to retain his crown on Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Australia’s Opetaia fought at this venue for the third consecutive time as part of the ongoing Riyadh season series. The 29-year-old southpaw from Sydney was in complete control against a determined but outsized Massey, who was in his first career title fight.
The night marked the fourth RING championship defense for Opetaia (26-0, 20 knockouts). He immediately took the fight to Massey and consistently landed the more telling shots.
Massey (22-3, 12 KOs) was forced to contend with a cut to the bridge of his nose, the result of Opetaia’s heavy jab and right hook.
Opetaia kept landing power punches in round four. Massey enjoyed exceptional success with his right, but it was overshadowed by Opetaia’s bodywork, flush straight lefts and chopped right hooks.
The flow of the fight remained one way in the sixth. Opetaia was on the attack and drove Massey into the ropes. The challenger’s failure to turn things around was enough for head trainer Joe Gallagher to literally throw in the title.
Massey snapped a two-fight win streak. His previous defeats came to a then-undefeated Richard Riakporhe and – in a move to heavyweight – former WBO titleholder Joseph Parker.
Opetaia first claimed the IBF and Ring championships in a July 2022 points victory over Mairis Briedis in Australia’s Gold Coast. He made one successful defense of both before being stripped of the IBF before a first-round knockout of Ellis Zorro last December 21 at this venue.
Action was taken by the IBF because Zorro was not ranked by the sanctioning body, and Opetaia committed to facing Briedis in a scheduled rematch. Fittingly, the two met for the vacant title on the May 18 Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury undercard. Opetaia was in control for much of the night, but forced to survive a late scare. His performance was more than good enough to regain the IBF belt and retain his Ring crown.
All eyes are now on the November 16 Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez-Chris Billam-Smith WBA/WBO cruiserweight title unification bout at this location. Opetaia would very much like to face the winner. Any fighter will be a great option anywhere in the world in 2025.
“I hope it comes,” Opetaia told DAZN’s Chris Mannix after his win. “My team just whispered in my ear that’s who’s next. But thanks to Turki Alalshikh (Chairman of Saudi General Entertainment Authority) for making it happen. I’m ready to fight whoever he says.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
