Mairis Briedis and Jai Opetaia Set for Highly Anticipated Cruiserweight Rematch in Riyadh
Nearly two years after their epic clash in Gold Coast, Australia, former IBF cruiserweight champion Mairis Briedis and current titleholder Jai Opetaia are set to renew their rivalry. The pair will face off in a rematch on the undercard of the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight showdown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Their first encounter in 2022 was widely regarded as the Fight of the Year, with both men sustaining significant injuries. Briedis revealed that Opetaia broke his nose in the fourth round, leaving him unable to breathe due to the heavy bleeding. “The psychological feeling was also given to people, looking from the outside. It also gave both him and the judges such a sense of superiority,” the Latvian boxer recounted.
Briedis also shed light on the events leading up to the initial bout, alleging that his camp was misled about the sparring partners Opetaia had been using. “The whole tactic of how we sparred… there were still three coaches, two sparring partners had three coaches. I thought, why three? One was sitting and peeping all the time, analyzing. That’s how all the boxing tactics were analyzed over the two weeks when we were sparring there,” he claimed.
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” – Mike Tyson
Despite the setbacks, Briedis is determined to reclaim the vacant IBF cruiserweight title in the rematch. “Of course I want to win and it’s always been like that,” he declared. “As Mike Tyson once said: ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.’ So let’s try not to miss that punch and not change our plans.”
Opetaia, who has since signed with Matchroom Boxing and secured stoppage wins over Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro, will look to build on his previous victory and solidify his place atop the cruiserweight division.
The highly anticipated rematch between Briedis and Opetaia promises to be another explosive encounter, as both men seek to settle the score and claim the coveted IBF cruiserweight championship.
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