May 3 aim at Opetaia vs. Zurdo Ramirez Unification Bolt

IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (27-0, 21 KOs) says he wants a unification fight against WBA/WBO champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez next after his fourth-round blowout of challenger David Nyika (10-1, 9 KOs) Wednesday night in Australia.

In-game concerns

Opetaia, 29, will have to fight much better against Zurdo Ramirez for him to defeat the unified champion. The deficit that Jai showed on the inside against Nyika tonight will be exploited by Zurdo, who is an outstanding fighter. This is the best part of his game. He would beat Opetaia in a fight on the inside and overwhelm him with punches.

We saw tonight that Jai is a one-armed fighter, only able to land his left with authority and need to be on the outside to generate power. He was average on the inside when Nyika forced him into that fight by closing the space, grappling and striking. If it was Ramirez, Jai would have been out of his league and probably eliminated.

According to Tasman Fighters boss Jake Donovan, Mick Francis, May 3 is a possible date for a unification clash between Opetaia and Zurdo Ramirez. Now the difficult party is trying to get the match negotiated. It’s not going to be easy.

Opetaia is a good fighter in the Bivol mold, but he has no inside game, and is not built for a fighter like Gilberto Ramirez, Oleksandr Usyk, or even Artur Beterbiev. He is too one dimensional and more of a potshot type.

Nyika’s Dogfight Tactics

“I want those unification fights. I want all those belts around my waist,” Opetaia told the media at the press conference after his victory over Nyika. “I’m chasing unification fights, but if they put someone else in front of me, I can’t help it.

“I was quite shocked at how he came out,” Opetaia said of Nyika’s aggression. “My old man told me: ‘He wants a dogfight.’ “If he wants a dogfight, let’s have a dogfight.”

Nyika fought Opetaia on equal footing, fighting and tearing him apart. His tactic of turning the fight into a dogfight was quite effective. Jai ended the fight in the fourth round when he came to the outside, hurt Nyika with a left hand and then overwhelmed him with combinations.