Jai Opetaia will aim to extend his unbeaten record to 28-0, as well as make the third defense of his IBF World Cruiserweight title in a second reign in June 2025.
Taking on an Italian fighter in Claudio Squeo (17-0), Opetaia will fight in his native Australia on June 8th.
Since Opetaia faced Mairis Briedis for the first time in 2022, the Australian has only competed in title bouts as a professional.
In order to prove that he was championship material, Opetaia had an impressive and dominant showing.
Jai Opetaia dominated Daniel Russell in catchweight bout
After winning the first 20 fights of his career, Opetaia would be paired with fellow countryman Daniel Russell in December 2021. Originally meant to fight Trent Broadhurst, Russell stepped in as a short-notice replacement.
At the time, Opetaia was 26 years old, seven years younger than his opponent. The two competitors faced off in a catchweight bout agreed upon at 95kg, or 209.5 lbs, as Russell entered the bout with a 7-2-2 record.
Despite a promising opening round from the underdog Russell, Opetaia would start to gain control of the fight in round two. A straight left hand from the younger fighter would sting Russell, who took a knee following the shot.
In the third round of the bout, Opetaia would end the fight.
Russell would once again go down to a knee after taking a series of blows from Opetaia. Moments after the restart, Opetaia would score another knockdown on his opponent, as the referee waved off the fight.
There were protests from Russell concerning the stoppage. Despite this, after the fight, he still embraced Opetaia, who picked up his 21st victory.
Opetaia’s next fight would see him challenge and defeat Briedis in July 2022.
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Jai Opetaia has won 21 of his 27 fights via finish
When Opetaia stopped Russell, it was the 17th finish of his professional career. After winning three of his first four fights via decision, the Australian went on a finishing run.
From 2016 to 2019, Opetaia was able to finish all 13 opponents that he met inside the ring. This run was then brought to a halt by Nikolas Charalampous (18-2) in July 2019.
Opetaia then picked up three consecutive stoppage wins, which included his win over Russell, to set up his meeting with Briedis.
The Latvian fighter Briedis has brought Opetaia the distance twice in losing efforts and is the only man not to be finished by the Australian in his last nine fights.