GOLD COAST, Australia – Jai Opetaia is relishing the lift Saturday’s IBF cruiserweight title fight with Huseyin Cinkara is giving to the careers of so many of his compatriots after remembering the struggle he had to overcome to build his name.
In 2025 the Australian is widely recognised as the world’s leading cruiserweight, but even after having become his country’s youngest ever boxer at an Olympics when aged 17 he competed at London 2012, it took until 2022 – and more relevantly him so impressively resisting a broken jaw to dethrone Latvia’s Mairis Breidis as the IBF champion – for recognition of his abilities to truly start to come.
Since then he has fought and won in England and Saudi Arabia – Saturday’s contest, at the Gold Coast Exhibition Centre, is his third of 2025 in his home country – and yet the frustration he has endured in his pursuit of unification contests with Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and Badou Jack has served as a reminder of the extent to which he has almost been fighting uphill.
At Thursday’s final pre-fight press conference his promoter, Mick Francis of Tasman Fighters, described him as “the best fighter ever to come out of this part of the world, hands down”, and while his occupation means that he is essentially obliged to do so, it perhaps is only victories over Jack and Ramirez he requires before he is widely considered to have surpassed the achievements of Jeff Fenech and Kostya Tszyu.
Before he makes his way to the ring on Saturday, Teremoana Teremoana, Jake Wyllie, the former world champion Jason Moloney and the promising super-middleweight Max McIntyre – in the all-Australian, chief-support match-up against Jed Morris – will be among those to have fought on a televised pay-per-view promotion at a 6,000-capacity arena that, according to Tasman, has sold out. The influential Australian broadcaster Stan will, in the first date of their agreement with Tasman, show Opetaia-Cinkara to those within Australia, and it will also be available on UFC Fight Pass to those overseas.
If the former Olympian and heavyweight Teremoana may be able to take for granted at least some of the attention he can expect to receive, for Wyllie, McIntyre and even Moloney – for so long forced to fight outside of Australia to pursue the opportunities required to further his career – that attention has the potential to be transformative. It is the nature of attention Opetaia, even as a heavy-handed, 21-fight professional, didn’t start to receive until confronting Breidis in 2022.
“It’s special, man,” he responded from the top table of Thursday’s press conference when asked about the fact that he is fighting in his home city for the third time in 2025. “And to give these boys a platform – I didn’t have a platform coming up through the rankings.
“There was no big world-title fights and stuff for me to fight on. It’s something to be proud of, man, and the talent that’s up on these tables is crazy, because these are my peers; these are my people. I’ve seen them come from the start and then progress into the champions they are today, so it is something to be very, very proud of.
“Shout out to Tasman Fighters for giving these people experience every time we have these fights. But we got a job to do on Saturday and we gotta make sure we get it done.
“It’s been challenging to get the right fights. I’m looking for those progress fights, but we’re here now. [Cinkara] does bring a lot of challenges – you don’t become number-one mandatory on accident. He’s the first one to step up – I’m sure they offered him some cash to step aside so we could get a different fight – [but] he believes he can win. He’s got nothing to lose, man, he’s coming to win, and it makes him dangerous, but we’re ready for the danger. We prepare in those deep waters, all day. Whatever he brings, we got an answer to. I’m curious to see how he comes out; how hungry he is; how tough he is. We’ll find out on Saturday.”
The fact that it was so recently revealed that Mexico’s Ramirez intends on prioritising, instead of Opetaia, a fight with the American light heavyweight David Benavidez in 2026 is a reflection of the extent to which the US remains the centre of the fight universe and also of what Opetaia has previously overcome. By the standards of the US and Britain, Australia remains a relative boxing backwater, but it is his reputation that has convinced Stan and UFC Fight Pass to invest in Tasman, and that will prove key if the unification match-ups he has been so vocal about pursuing are to follow.
“This is a very important fight for my career,” the 30 year old explained. “I’ve got my world title on the line, so losing to me is not an option. It’s third time here this year on the Gold Coast, so thank you to everyone for coming here again. They really turn up – we’ve got another sold-out arena.
“We don’t change our style too much. We just – we perfect the craft. Minimal mistakes; we get fitter, stronger, and we tighten; tighten; tighten. There’s obviously a few punches that we’ve been working on – a bit extra that we think can work – but we are ready for anything. If he comes out aggressive, we fight fire with fire; we box; we brawl. Whatever comes, let’s do it.”
“When I first got involved with Jai, he was always going on about creating these platforms and giving these younger fighters the chance to fight on these big cards,” said Francis, whose faith in the 21-year-old McIntyre is reflected in his fight with Morris being promoted to chief support off the back of the cancellation of the heavyweight rematch between Justis Huni and Kiki Toa Leutele.
“Jai’s actually the guy that wants to do these big fights here in Australia. I know we’re looking for these big fights around the world – while these guys are ducking, Jai’s giving these guys an opportunity.
“Australia’s coming to watch this guy here – he’s the star. He’s a once-in-a-generational fighter. He’s the best fighter ever to come out of this part of the world, hands down – I’ll challenge anyone on that. He’s only 30 years old; he’s only getting started. There’s bigger things to come.
“But he’s the most feared fighter in the world. This guy has been offering to fight these guys [Jack and Ramirez] for a can of coke and a Mars bar to get these fights over the line and they’re still not facing him. It just goes to show how much of a talent this guy is. Every time we have Jai here the arena sells out.”
The Turkish-German Cinkara had been on course to fight Opetaia in January until an injury ruled him out and led to him being replaced by David Nyika in what proved so entertaining a shootout.
He, regardless, has remained focused on fighting the world’s leading cruiserweight – after stopping Nyika in four, Opetaia defeated the Italian Claudio Squeo in five rounds in June – and at 40 years old, after 23 fights and 23 victories, is embracing his toughest test.
“Jai’s the best champion out there in the cruiserweight division,” he said. “I’ve total respect not only for his fighting ability but his demeanour and character. He’s a very nice man – you can see that. But I’ve come here prepared. With all my belief, not just in myself, but because of the belief the Turks have in me as well, I’m gonna bring it to the fight come Saturday night.
“Respectfully speaking, on Saturday night there’s gonna be two fighters in that ring. We both believe we’re gonna win; we’re both gonna bring our best game, and the best man will win, and I believe that’s gonna be me.
“The Turkish community here, for getting behind me, has been excellent. I can’t say as much as what I should, about how they’ve got behind me since I’ve been here.
“I’ve worked very hard for this fight. I’ve covered all bases and I’m ready to go. There’s nothing I believe I’ve forgotten. I’m ready to fight. I’m bringing the game.”
