Instead of unification against Ramirez: Jai Opetaia boxes against the German Hüseyin Cinkara – The IBF World Cruiserweight Championship is scheduled to take place in Australia in the fall.
The way is clear for Jai Opetaia’s next title defense: The purse bid for the mandatory defense against unbeaten German Hüseyin Cinkara scheduled for Tuesday was canceled at short notice – both camps have reached a direct agreement. The fight for the IBF cruiserweight belt is scheduled to take place in Australia in the fall. An exact date will be announced shortly.
Opetaia (28-0, 22 knockouts) is looking forward to the home match: “Cinkara is dangerous, but I’m ready. I wanted title unifications, but the other champions are ducking out. First I’ll get Cinkara out of the way – then I’ll get the rest.”
A unification fight with WBA/WBO champion “Zurdo” Ramirez was originally planned for November, but he had to cancel due to shoulder surgery. This will be Cinkara’s (23-0, 19 knockouts) first world title fight. Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn is delighted: “Jai is a world-class champion. Against an unbeaten challenger like Cinkara, he shows again what he’s made of.”
Text by Robin Josten