Opetaia Shows His Soft Side, But He Is Still Happy To Take Briedis Into The Trenches

Cruiserweight star Jai Opetaia might be one of the most intense interviews in boxing, certainly during a fight week.

But there is a way to distract him and get the heavy-handed southpaw to show another side.

During a zoom call ahead of his vacant IBF cruiserweight title rematch with Mairis Briedis on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Australian with the icy stare talks about two of his passions away from the ring; his dog Murphy and fishing.

“Besides boxing, I’m never really serious, you just ask my missus,” said the 24-0 (19 KOs) fighter from Sydney. “I’m just a normal person who likes to have fun, who enjoys the little things but when it comes down to work, I like to work. I don’t like to waste time when it comes to important things. If we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it properly. But if you give me a weekend off, ‘See you later!’”

Murphy is a seven-year-old black pug who Opetaia has owned since he was a puppy. The man who many see as the best 200-pounder in the world softens immeasurably when he talks about him.

“Oh mate, if you come back as an animal I want to come back as Murphy,” Opetaia smiles. “He’s just lays around, gets patted all day, gets fed, I take him for walks, he’s a good little dog. I love him.”

Opetaia also likes to relax on the open waves. He took solace on the boat when this bill was originally moved back from February after Tyson Fury was cut in sparring and his fight with Oleksandr Usyk was pushed back. 

Opetaia might be a co-challenger on Saturday, but he is widely regarded as the champion. He defeated Briedis almost two years ago, but the IBF stripped him for facing Ellis Zorro rather than wait for the Briedis rematch. Zorro was stopped inside a round with one of the knockouts of 2023.

But Briedis is a different proposition. In July 2022, in Australia, Opetaia and Briedis battled hard over 12 rounds, with Opetaia enduring a baptism of fire and grimacing through a broken jaw to win the title.

While Opetaia, 28, has had two wins since, over Zorro and Jordan Thompson, Briedis has not boxed. Will the Latvian’s inactivity play a part?

“To be honest, I don’t even think about it,” said Opetaia. “I’m not thinking about him. I’m preparing for the best version of Briedis. I’m not taking him lightly. I’m expecting him to come out guns blazing, so I’ve been training very hard and we just focus on our own camp and our own performance.”