Jai Opetaia Next Fight: Cruiserweight sensation targets unification

World cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia has had a 2025 to remember. The big-hitting Australian has racked up two successful defences of his titles in the first half of the year, winning both by knockout. Opetaia’s profile has never been higher, leading fans to speculate about where they can see him next.

Read on to find out the identity of Jai Opetaia’s next opponent as we count down to the return of the New South Wales southpaw.

Opetaia entered 2025 as a man on a mission. Having regained the IBF belt the sanctioning body farcically stripped from him against old foe Mairis Briedis and defending it against Jack Massey, the Australian looked to assert further dominance. 

Unbeaten New Zealander David Nyika was first in the champion's crosshairs. An Olympic bronze medallist and 10-0 as a pro going in, Nyika had cut his teeth beating men who had challenged for major belts in the past. He looked good sweeping aside the likes of Tommy Karpency and Robert Berridge.

But clearing a path through the ghosts of the past did not set Nyika up for success against the fresh, fierce champion. Opetaia clubbed his man in four rounds to hold onto his position as one of the most dangerous men in boxing.

Italy's 'Red Bull' Claudio Squeo brought an ostensibly-impressive 17-0 record to the ring, though closer inspection found holes in his resume. Opetaia stuck his fist through those gaps to knock his challenger out in five rounds in June. 2-0 for the year with two knockouts, Opetaia now seeks his biggest challenge since winning his first fight with then-IBF champion Briedis.

Saturday, June 28 was a big day for the cruiserweight division. While Opetaia is the current lineal champion, Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez currently holds the WBA and WBO championships. The Mexican volume-puncher outpointed former champion Yuniel Dorticos on the June 28 DAZN card, retaining his belts and clearing a path for a showdown with Opetaia.

But the main event of that Honda Center show in Anaheim was another cruiserweight contest. Influencer-turned-almost-boxer Jake Paul outpointed middleweight-turned-shambles Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. over 10 uninspiring rounds. The Mexican, a former world champion in another lifetime, boxed like a cardboard cut-out and looked like one you'd buy from Temu. But this idiocy is reportedly enough for the WBC and WBA to rank Paul in their top 15.

This means that the holders of those titles can choose to fight him in a sanctioned championship bout. The placement of 'Zurdo' on the same card makes him a real possibility for this lucrative but questionable assignment. However, a lot of the noise coming out of the circus event was that Ramirez fighting Opetaia is more likely.

One truly hopes so. Both camps made noises about a unification fight in the wake of the Anaheim card. The Ring, owned and operated by boxing tzar Turki Alalshikh, also threw their considerable weight behind a fight that would unite the two highest-ranked cruiserweights in their world ratings.

I would agree with that assessment from 'The Bible of Boxing'. WBC titlist Badou Jack is a formidable veteran, but his resume in this particular division is below that of Opetaia and Ramirez. In an ideal world, the three-weight world champion would fight the winner. But this world is far from ideal. If Opetaia meets 'Zurdo', Jack likely takes the millions on offer to fight Paul.

But at time of press, Opetaia and Ramirez is being talked about as the likeliest direction of travel. Nothing is set in stone and negotiations, however enthusiastically they are entered into, are never guaranteed to succeed.

But with Paul making the division and the sport look a little silly, a quality match-up like the IBF champion targeting his WBA and WBO equivalent, is just the tonic we need. Opetaia has found it easy while smashing mandatory challengers to bits. 'Zurdo' has coped well with competing in his third weight class, but his power has not quite carried. But Opetaia has not fought a foe as good as the Mexican since his initial title win over Briedis.

This one is fascinating. Whatever 'The Problem Child' gets up to on the periphery, let's hope Opetaia and 'Zurdo' duke it out for true cruiserweight supremacy soon.

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