Jai Opetaia reclaimed the IBF cruiserweight title after easing to victory in his rematch with Mairis Briedis.
The Australian was stripped of his title in the build-up to his victory in December over Ellis Zorro, and on his return to the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he struggled to impress despite recording a convincing win.
Opetaia had first won it when outpointing Briedis in 2022 on an evening when the Latvian suffered a broken nose and when Opetaia’s jaw was broken. It was perhaps even the bruising nature of that contest that meant that their rematch rarely truly excited before Opetaia was awarded scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 116-112.
Reminders of their first fight came as early as the second round, when Opetaia responded to the flurry of punches from the aggressive Briedis with hurtful combination and they then briefly, and wildly, traded towards the ropes.
An authoritative left hand followed from Opetaia in the third round, as did body shots in the fourth round and fifth. If there were a suspicion entering his 31st contest that a combination of his 39 years and – having not fought since losing their previous fight almost two years ago – inactivity would undermine him entirely, Briedis showed he retains his cultured movement and balanced feet.
It was in the sixth round when another punch appeared to break Briedis’ nose – it had happened in the fourth first time around – but he responded with his best round so far in the seventh when he landed another straight left hand.
Briedis was warned in the eighth round by the referee Howard Foster for hitting low, but for all of his aggression as he chased victory, he was too rarely sufficiently effective, and the 28-year-old Opetaia punished him in the 10th with a strong left hand.
Opetaia was left bloodied and, in all likelihood, bruised by a more effective assault from Briedis in the 11th round, but he entered the 12th requiring a knockout and, for all of his ambition against the world’s finest cruiserweight, he never got closer than a big right hand and a body shot that forced Opetaia back.
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