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In July of 2022, a relatively unknown Australian fighter Jay Opetaia defeated the cruiserweight legend Mairis Briedis. Regardless of his age (37 at the time), Latvian was still considered the best fighter in the 200-pound division. This fight of the year contender showed the world that Opetaia has all the necessary tools to be at the top: physical abilities, courage and determination.
During 2023, he knocked out two opponents who were both badly over-matched, Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro. These two easy victories attracted even more attention from the boxing public outside off his home country. In May of this year, with another victory over Briedis, Jay confirmed his status of the IBF champion and the best cruiserweight in the world right now.
The fight with Jack Massey
Although this clash is only one of the opening fights on the Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev card, both fighters could benefit from it. Given the importance of the main bout, it will be a great opportunity for Opetaia to attract more casual fans, who may not yet be familiar with his immense talents in the ring.
With his large frame, ”One smack” Jack belongs to the heavyweights, something he already confirmed with occasional appearances among the big guys. At 6 feet 4 inches, he is taller than Opetaia and has a larger arm span. Boxing behind a pretty solid jab, Massey is very disciplined and patient, with a more than solid technique. Victory against very good Isaac Chamberlain is the best indicator of his capabilities.
However, physical attributes favor the Australian. Opetaia moves like a middleweight, has pretty good hand speed and powerful punch. He boxes with short, precise combinations and is very dangerous on the counterattack. If the opponent is shaken, he can finish the match quickly. Ellis Zorro fight is the best example.
In addition, Opetaia has another quality of a great champion: he can stay calm even when taking a serious beating. In the fourth round of the first fight, Briedis broke his jaw, but Jay boxed eight more rounds and won. With only 25 matches, he looks like a veteran of the ring. All in all, Jay is the favorite against Massey. Although the Briton is expected to put up a good fight, this clash will still go to the Aussie fighter, most likely by unanimous decision, even a possible knockout in the later rounds.
Cruiserweight landscape
Chris Billiam-Smith and Richard Riakporhe faced each other for the second time in June this year. Billiam-Smith won a hard-fought decision, but more importantly, neither of them was at the level of Briedis, who was beaten twice by Opetaia. Jay’s athleticism would be crucial here as well, and then, of course, his technical skills and excellent amateur pedigree.
WBC champion Noel Mikaelian is another possible rival, if he can defeat a hard punching Canadian Ryan Rozicki later this year. Most boxing experts expect Opetaia to unify all the belts in the next year or two, which opens up the possibility to go up in weight and challenge the big boys, something every real boxing fan would love to see.
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