Opetaia Stuck With Cinkara As Cruiserweight Champs Avoid Him

Jai Opetaia defends his IBF cruiserweight title against his mandatory challenger, Huseyin Cinkara, this Saturday, December 6th, on DAZN.

Viewed as the most-avoided fighter in the cruiserweight division, Opetaia (28-0, 22 KOs) is stuck with another lackluster opponent, defending against 40-year-old Cinkara (23-0, 19 KOs) at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Australia.

Cinkara by Default

It’s not the fight that Opetaia wanted. He’s been calling out WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo ‘ Ramirez, trying to get him to agree to a unification. It hasn’t worked. He’s ignored Jai’s repeated callouts, and it’s reached the point where it’s forlorn.

Ramirez is defending against David Benavidez next on May 2, 2026. Even Benavidez seems reluctant to fight Opetaia. When Benavidez was asked about his interest in fighting Opetaia at his post-fight press conference on November 22, 2025, after his win over Anthony Yarde, he suddenly appeared nervous. He blurted a non-answer, “I’m here to prove myself.” The look on Benavidez’s face was like someone having their feet put to the fire.

Benavidez Hesitates

Benavidez’s body language was defensive and evasive, like a person being put under bright lights during an interrogation. Moments before, he’d seemed confident. talking about his fight with ‘Zurdo’s Ramirez. But when Opetaia was brought up, his mood changed. It gave fans the opinion that Benavidez has no intention of fighting Jai and will dodge him as the others have done at cruiserweight.

Ducking Culture

That was another example of how Opetaia affects fighters. He’s clearly the boogeyman of the cruiserweight division, and a fighter who is treated like a leper by the top guys in the division. The ducking culture in this weight class is a problem and has held Jai back from getting the fights that he needs.

Opetaia comes into Saturday’s fight with three straight knockouts dating back to 2024. None of the guys he’s beaten have been the big names that he’s wanted. This was all he could get:

• Claudio Squeo
• David Nyika
• Jack Massey