Opetaia Must Improve Fast Or Benavidez/Zurdo Will Punish Him

A beat-up looking, ragged IBF cruiserweight champion, Jai Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs), was furious with his performance on Saturday despite knocking out the challenger. Huseyin Cinkara (23-1, 19 KOs) in the eighth round at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, in Australia.

It was supposed to be a slaughter for Opetaia in his defense against the unproven 40-year-old #1 mandatory Cinkara, but it turned out to be a more brutal fight than he expected. Cinkara caught Jai in the second round with a right hand that almost sent him to the canvas.

Opetaia stayed on his feet and instinctively grabbed Cinkara in a clinch and wouldn’t let go. He made it through the round without getting hurt again, but the damage had been done. He was cut under his right eye from the hard shot from Cinkara.

Benavidez & Zurdo Hit Much Harder

Will Opetaia be back “better”? He’s 30 years old, and he didn’t look good in his rematch with Mairis Briedis in May 2024. Looking ahead, Opetaia’s future isnt as bright as it once was. If he fights the Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez vs. David Benavidez winner, there’s a very high possibility he’ll lose.

Those two can bring it, and they’re used to being involved in wars. The one punch from Cinkara that almost had Opetaia on the deck tonight would be amplified by hundreds by Benavidez and Zurdo.

Through the remainder of the fight, Cinkara continued to occasionally nail Jai with heavy right-hand punches and jabs that snapped his head back. It wasn’t just the punches that landed that got fans wondering about Opetaia.

It was the way he reacted each time. He looked uncomfortable and lacked poise. He looked like a fighter not accustomed to the give-and-take of battle and was crumbling mentally, dealing with someone who was fighting back. That’s a product of being involved in too many mismatches.

“I’m very disappointed in myself. Cinkara definitely came to fight. He boxed very well. I felt like I just fought like s***, to be honest. It was a lot of mistakes, and I’m f**** so p**** off,” said Opetaia, reacting to his performance in his fight against Cinkara on Saturday night.

GLORY TO GOD!
Just winning isn’t good enough, I’ll be back better I promise you that! #ANDSTILL#UNDISPUTED pic.twitter.com/b0MakhHqwh

— Jai Opetaia (@jaiopetaia1) December 6, 2025