Instead of Unification against Ramirez, Jai Opetaia has to defend against Cinkara – and is thinking about moving up to heavyweight.
Australian cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia (28-0, 22 knockouts) is facing a landmark decision. The 30-year-old actually had his sights set on unifying all the cruiserweight world championship belts, but a planned showdown with WBA and WBO champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez has been canceled for the time being due to the latter’s shoulder surgery.
Instead, the IBF ordered a mandatory defense against the German Huseyin Cinkara (23-0, 19 knockouts). Although the 40-year-old is unbeaten, he is largely unknown internationally. He only returned from injury in April with a first-round knockout. Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that a duel in November or December is likely.
For Opetaia, it is the next must-win bout without any real charisma, having already stopped David Nyika and Claudio Squeo well ahead of time. If a unification fight does not materialize after that, a move up to heavyweight seems inevitable. “Maybe a little sooner than planned, but you can’t wait forever,” explained Hearn. Far bigger names await the Australian there – and the chance to follow in the footsteps of Oleksandr Usyk.
Text by Robin Josten