Jai Opetaia

Jai Opetaia is an Australian professional boxer who has been making big waves in the boxing scene since he turned pro in 2015 at the age of 20. With an impressive record of 22 wins and 0 losses, the 27-year-old boxer has made a name for himself in the cruiserweight and heavyweight weight classes. Let's take a closer look at his career and accomplishments so far.

Early Career and Regional Titles

Opetaia made his professional debut in August 2015 against Isileli Fa, whom he defeated via a 4-round unanimous decision. From there, he went on to win his next 21 fights, 17 of which were won by knockout. In July 2017, Opetaia won the WBC-OPBF and Australian cruiserweight titles by defeating Daniel Ammann via ninth-round technical knockout.

In October 2017, Opetaia won the IBF Youth cruiserweight title via a first-round technical knockout against Frankie Lopez. The following year, he won the WBO Asia-Pacific cruiserweight title with a second-round technical knockout win against Lukas Paszkowsky.

Opetaia continued to add to his collection of regional titles, winning the WBA Oceania interim cruiserweight title in May 2019 against Navosa Ioata, and the WBO Global cruiserweight title in July 2019 against Nikolas Charalampous. In June 2018, he won the IBF Pan-Pacific cruiserweight title and retained his WBO Asia-Pacific cruiserweight title against Kurtis Pegoraro via a second-round knockout.

World Title Wins and Defenses

Opetaia's first world title fight was against Mark Flanagan for the IBF cruiserweight title in November 2019, and he won the fight via an impressive 8th round TKO. With this win, Opetaia became the IBF cruiserweight champion of the world.

The following year, Opetaia had his first title defense against Benjamin Kelleher, which he won via a 6th round TKO. With this win, he retained his IBF Asia-Oceania and WBO Global cruiserweight titles.

In July 2022, Opetaia faced off against Mairis Briedis for Briedis' cruiserweight titles, including the IBF and The Ring titles. Despite having his jaw broken in two places during the fight, Opetaia emerged victorious with a 12-round unanimous decision. With this win, he added the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles to his collection and maintained his undefeated record.

Amateur Career and Background

Before his professional career, Opetaia had an impressive amateur career. He won a bronze medal at the 2012 Youth World Championships and represented Australia at the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He hails from Sydney, New South Wales, and was born on June 30, 1995. He stands at an impressive height of 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) and has a reach of 76 in (193 cm). He fights in the southpaw stance.

Career Highlights and Notable Victories

Opetaia has had 22 fights so far in his professional career and has won all of them. Apart from his three world title wins, Opetaia has had several other career highlights and notable victories.

One of his notable victories includes his first professional title win against Daniel Ammann for the WBC-OPBF and Australian cruiserweight titles. He won the fight via ninth-round technical knockout. Another notable victory was his win against Mairis Briedis in July 2022, where he became the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight champion by winning via unanimous decision.

Opetaia has also defeated top-ranked boxers such as Togasilimai Letoa, Kurtis Pegoraro, Benjamin Kelleher, and Mark Flanagan. His impressive record speaks for itself, demonstrating his skill, power and ability to maintain his undefeated record.

Conclusion

Jai Opetaia is an Australian boxer who has an impressive record of 22 wins and 0 losses in the cruiserweight and heavyweight weight classes. He has won multiple regional titles, as well as three world titles, including the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles. Opetaia's notable victories include wins over top-ranked boxers such as Mairis Briedis, Benjamin Kelleher, and Mark Flanagan. He is ranked as the world's best active cruiserweight by The Ring magazine and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and is second-ranked by BoxRec.

Opetaia's impressive skills and record have cemented his place as one of the top boxers in the world, and he is expected to continue achieving more victories and accolades as his career progresses.

Jai Opetaia Fight Record