Jai Opetaia has been labelled as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world after his convincing win against Jack Massey.
Fighting on the undercard of the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol fight, Opetaia cruised to victory after Massey’s corner threw the towel in on the sixth round.
The New Zealand star retained his IBF cruiserweight title without really breaking a sweat whereas his opponent was left with a bloodied face.
Jai Opetaia praised for strong display on Beterbiev vs Bivol fight night
Opetaia has been a name on the lips of everyone after he arrived into the fight with 25 wins from 25 professional bouts.
Hours before the fight was due to take place, the New Zealand star weighed in at 212 lbs, five pounds lighter than Massey.
Both had been under the 200 lbs mark the day before, but the last-minute scale change showed that Opetaia would have a big size advantage.
His victory in Saudi Arabia only further cements his reputation as a force to be reckoned with and plenty of pundits, journalists, and fans enjoyed what they saw.
Chisanga Malata of The Sun said: “Jai Opetaia is undoubtedly one of the pound-for-pound best. Such a slick operator. Only a matter of time, IMO before he cleans out the cruiserweight division and moves up to heavyweight.”
A second said: “Massey’s corner throws the towel in as Jai Opetaia does what heavyweight Joe Parker could not and beats Massey inside the distance. Absolute clinic from the best world’s best cruiserweight.
“Jai Opetaia just chopped Jack Massey down gradually round by round there, and Massey is no mug either. Opetaia is the real deal,” stated a third.
Jai Opetaia should face winner of Chris Billam-Smith vs Gilberto Ramirez
The 29-year-old has proved numerous times that he is capable of facing the top and now surely all eyes will be on the 16 November bout between Chris Billam-Smith and Gilberto Ramirez.
Whoever comes out on top will take home the WBO, WBA, and WBC belts in the cruiserweight division, leaving Opetaia’s IBF title the only one left.
Opetaia deserves this shot more than anyone and if he does go on to fight the winner and claim victory, the next step could even be that move up to the heavyweight division.
The 29-year-old even stated that it’s the fight he wants next and for sure, it’s the fight we all want too.