Promoter Eddie Hearn says his plan to maneuver Jai Opetaia into a big fight against unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is to have Jai capture all the belts at cruiserweight first.
Hearn wants Opetaia (26-0, 20 KOs) to follow the same route that Usyk did by becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion first before moving up to heavyweight.
The time that it’ll take for Jai to round up the remaining three belts might get in the way of him fighting Usyk because he’s 37, and he can’t wait around for two to three years. There’s also the possibility that Usyk could lose to one of the contenders or get beaten by IBF champion Daniel Dubois.
Opetaia will defend his IBF cruiserweight title tonight against David Nyika in Australia. The fight will be shown live on DAZN.
“I hear WBA mandatorys. Hopefully, there’s a way around that I think it’s the best fight in the division,” said Eddie Hearn to Chris Mannix’s YouTube channel about wanting to make a unification fight between Jai Opetaia and Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez next at cruiserweight if Jai successfully defends against David Nyika on Wednesday night in Australia.
“A lot of people are talking about Opetaia against Usyk. That’s a big build, and I think style-wise, it’s a tremendous fight. The only way we can get some momentum for that fight is if Jai can become undisputed at cruiserweight because that’s what Usyk did.
“Usyk was undisputed at cruiserweight and then moved to heavyweight and became undisputed. So, if Jai can win tomorrow, and then beat Zurdo Ramirez and then capture the WBC title. Then, we can start calling out Oleksandr Usyk.
It doesn’t sound realistic that Opetaia will be able to collect all the titles at cruiserweight because of the time and the reluctance of the other champions. Turki Al-Shiekh could make it possible for Opetaia to get the fights against the other three champions in the division, but whether he will or not is unknown.
“Most would agree it’s a great fight, but you’ve got to go some before you start calling this man out. It’s our plan down the line, but let us do our job and pick up the same credentials that Oleksandr Usyk picked up. If you do, no one can moan that we’re calling Usyk out because Usyk did the same. Get through tomorrow and then titles for Jai Opetaia,” said Hearn.
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