Undisputed Ambitions: Opetaia’s Fight Against Avoidance

Jai Opetaia expressed his frustration in an interview today about his inability to secure unification fights against cruiserweight champions Gilberto Ramirez and Badou Jack.

A Mentality Opetaia Can’t Grasp

IBF and WBO champion Opetaia (28-0, 22 KOs) says he doesn’t understand how these belt-holders “to be like that.” Their mindset is alien to Opetaia, and he can’t know how they would be like that or think the way they do to be avoidant.

Jai, 30, wants to collect the remaining two belts he needs to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion, then move up to heavyweight to go after the world titles in that division. He can’t do that with Jack and Zurdo Ramirez choosing not to fight him.

“I can’t believe that. We’re boxers. It doesn’t make sense to me for another fighter to be like that, to think like that,” said Jai Opetaia to talkSPORT Boxing about the other cruiserweights not wanting to fight him. “These boys are world champions. They’re chasing greatness.”

Are Opponents Milking Their Belts?

It’s obvious why Zurdo Ramirez and 41-year-old Badou aren’t showing interest in fighting Opetaia. Unless the money that they would receive for fighting him was enormous, they’re better off milking their world title belts against soft opposition that they know they can beat.

The Turki Alalshikh Solution

With the right matchmaking, Ramirez and Jack could hold onto their titles for years before they’re eventually dethroned. What is needed to entice them to take on the unification clash against Opetaia is for Turki Alalshikh to give them an offer they can’t refuse. Would they turn down $10 million? I don’t believe they would.

The question is, would it be worth it for Turki to pay them that kind of money for a fight that wouldn’t attract much interest from U.S fans? The Aussies would be interested in a fight involving Opetaia against almost anyone. Still, Americans would likely have moderate to low interest in a fight involving Jai, Badou, or Zurdo, in my view.

“Winning is the Key”

“If I knew the answer to that question, I’d already be undisputed,” said Opetaia when asked what it would take to get the other three cruiserweight champions to agree to face him. “Winning is the key. As long as I keep winning, they cannot deny it.”

At some point, Opetaia may need to give up on his dreams of becoming an undisputed cruiserweight champion and move up to heavyweight. He’s in the same boat Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis was in when he fought at welterweight.

It was next to impossible for him to get the two remaining champions he needed to become the undisputed champion at 147. So, he eventually gave up and moved to 154. Opetaia may need to reconsider his goal and move up to heavyweight if he doesn’t want to waste the next three to five years trying to accomplish his hopeless dream.