With just weeks remaining until his highly anticipated cruiserweight title rematch against Mairis Briedis on the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jai Opetaia believes he is “the new generation of great” in the division.
Opetaia Seeks to Prove He’s the “Next Generation of Great”
Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs), an Aussie southpaw, caused a major upset nearly two years ago by defeating Briedis to claim the IBF title in Gold Coast, Australia. Since then, he has signed with promotional powerhouse Matchroom and scored dramatic stoppage wins against Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro.
“Certain things have changed, and a lot of it has stayed the same,” Opetaia told BoxingScene. “It’s the same old, eat, sleep, train type of routine. But we’ve also been invited to the Tyson Fury training camp, so we’re rubbing shoulders with greatness now.”
Briedis’ career has stalled since losing his belt to Opetaia, and the IBF has repeatedly ordered a rematch, which is now set to take place.
“He’s still got that dog in him,” Opetaia said. “I broke his nose, he broke my nose, we battled it out and kept fighting. He had blood all over his face, I had my jaw swinging off my face – you can’t have a great fight without two great fighters.”
The 27-year-old Opetaia is confident he can once again prove he is the “next generation of great” in the cruiserweight division.
“I used to watch him and Usyk fight when nobody knew who I was. Now I’m fighting him for the second time. Hard work pays off,” he said.
Opetaia embraces the opportunity to be part of a historic undisputed heavyweight title fight.
“To be on these stages and be on these fights that are creating history, I’m born to do it, I’m built for it,” he stated. “I’m grateful and blessed – the work has only just begun.”
🔗 Source
