In a recent interview for The Stomping Ground, the boxer and current champion, Jai Opetaia, shared his thoughts on his successful title defense against Jack Massey and his upcoming plans. This fight took place on October 12 and was a standout event in the boxing world.
Opetaia began the interview by commenting on the odds for the fight. “When I saw the odds for this fight, I want to say I was surprised, and I wasn’t surprised,” he said. The Australian boxer acknowledged that Jack Massey is a great fighter and a tough opponent.
Referring to his performance in the ring, Jai Opetaia expressed his respect for Jack Massey.
“He is, brother, tough as nails. You know, he has dangerous power, and he’s a tough guy,” he commented. Despite the difficulty of the bout, the champion felt satisfied with his performance. “It was a good learning curve. You learn a lot from these fights, and I’m excited about the progress,” he explained.
The Australian boxer also reflected on his long journey to reach this point in his career. “I know we can do better. It has been a long journey to get to this ring, brother; this fight has been a rollercoaster,” he recalled. For Jai Opetaia, learning and progress are fundamental to his career. “It’s about learning and progress, so I’m excited about the next fight,” he concluded.
In the interview, Opetaia also highlighted the growth of boxing in Australia. “Australian boxing is growing enormously. There are so many great fighters coming out of our area and from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands,” he stated. The champion emphasized the importance of opening opportunities for other boxers. “I feel like it will really open doors for people from our area,” he said.
Regarding his weight, Opetaia revealed that he made weight more easily for this fight.
“We probably made weight, probably the easiest I’ve done for this fight,” he mentioned. He felt comfortable in the cruiserweight division, although he also assured that he could move up to heavyweight whenever he wanted. “I know when I want to move up to heavyweight, I can also make weight,” he indicated.
On future fights, Jai Opetaia expressed interest in the bout taking place in Riyadh between Chris Billam-Smith and Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez. “Are you keeping an eye on the winner of that? I imagine you just want to get to a position where you have as many belts as possible,” the interviewer asked. Opetaia responded affirmatively, noting that his goal is unification of belts. “I’m just pursuing unification of belts, so I’m really chasing those progress fights,” he explained.
The champion also reflected on the underestimation of the cruiserweight division in boxing. “It’s funny because people always underestimate the cruiserweight division, and they certainly have in recent years,” he stated. He recalled Oleksandr Usyk’s impact on the division and how his success became more recognized after moving up to heavyweight.
Finally, Opetaia was reflective about his journey and the future. “What does all this mean to you? Can you summarize it?” he was asked. “I’m not sure yet. I feel like we still have a lot of hard work to do,” he replied. The champion emphasized the importance of continuing to work hard and not resting on his laurels. “We are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel; I don’t know what that light is yet, but we are not there yet,” he concluded.
Jai Opetaia continues to show his determination and ambition in boxing. With his focus on hard work and progress, the Australian champion is prepared to face new challenges in his career.
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