Jai Opetaia returning to ‘the roots of boxing and movement’ to see off Jack Massey

Jai Opetaia has warned Jack Massey that the physical approach that inspired his victory over Isaac Chamberlain won’t serve him when on Saturday they contest the IBF cruiserweight title.

Opetaia makes the first defence of the title he won for the second time in his rematch with Mairis Breidis in May, and at the same venue – the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Massey, 31, transformed his career a month later when as the underdog he largely bullied Chamberlain in the course of earning a unanimous decision, and in turn won the Commonwealth and vacant European cruiserweight titles, and ultimately the opportunity to dethrone Opetaia: the finest cruiserweight in the world.

He will again be the underdog against the 29-year-old Opetaia—he has previously recorded defeats by Richard Riakporhe and Joseph Parker in what represented his toughest fights—but for all that he has improved and he impressed the defending champion in victory over Chamberlain, Opetaia has reminded him that he is entering a vastly different nature of fight.

“Those boys, they punched the shit out of each other,” Opetaia told BoxingScene. “They just stood there and fucking banged it out, eh? Far out. But we’re a completely different kettle of fish, compared to those guys. We’re not going to stand there and turn this into a fucking slugfest. We’ll use the ring, and ring IQ, and we’re going back to the roots of boxing and movement.

“He’s good, man. We’re not taking him lightly at all; he’s a good, tough opponent. At the press conference he was saying he has a big amateur pedigree, so he’s been around the sport for a long time. He’s good. He’s a tough opponent. But styles make fights.

“There’s pressure in every fight. I’ve had pressure in every single fight of my pro career; it’s been a stepping stone to get where we want to go, and we’re still very far from our final destination. We’re always under pressure. 

“These underdog boys remind me of myself. I was in their shoes; no one knew who I was. I went from fighting at the Music Hall in Brisbane [in Australia] to fighting for a world title. They’re dangerous, so I take every fight very serious.

“Everything we have is earned every day. It can easily be taken away from us in one bad day. We don’t fucking prepare properly for a fight, and we fall short, everything will be taken away from us. We’ve gotta win it before we go in there, so we’re doing all the hard work that needs to be done.”