Jai Opetaia (proper) cracks challenger Jack Massey with left hand. Opetaia retained RING and IBF cruiserweight crown with sixth-round stoppage on Oct. 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Credit score: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions
Jai Opetaia had little bother in his newest championship protection.
The reigning RING and IBF cruiserweight king turned away the problem of England’s Jack Massey. Opetaia bludgeoned Massey en path to a sixth-round stoppage to retain his crown Saturday at Kingdom Enviornment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Australia’s Opetaia fought for the third straight time at this venue as a part of the continued Riyadh Season sequence. The 29-year-southpaw from Sydney was in full management versus a decided however overmatched Massey, who was in his first profession title battle.
The evening marked the fourth RING championship protection for Opetaia (26-0, 20 knockouts). He instantly took the battle to Massey and persistently landed the extra telling blows.
Massey (22-3, 12 KOs) was pressured to deal with a reduce on the bridge of his nostril, the results of Opetaia’s heavy jab and proper hook.
Opetaia continued to land with energy photographs in spherical 4. Massey loved singular success together with his proper however it was overshadowed by Opetaia’s physique work, flush straight lefts and chopping proper hooks.
The course of the bout remained in a single path within the sixth. Opetaia was on the assault and drove Massey into the ropes. The failure by the challenger to show issues round was sufficient for head coach Joe Gallagher to actually throw within the title.
Massey snapped a two-fight win streak. His prior defeats got here to a then-unbeaten Richard Riakporhe and—in a transfer to heavyweight—former WBO titleholder Joseph Parker.
Opetaia first claimed the IBF and Ring championship in a July 2022 factors win over Mairis Briedis in Australia’s Gold Coast. He made one profitable protection of each earlier than he was stripped of the IBF forward of a first-round knockout of Ellis Zorro final Dec. 21 at this venue.
Motion was taken by the IBF resulting from Zorro not being ranked by the sanctioning physique, and Opetaia dedicated to face Briedis in an ordered rematch. Fittingly, the 2 met for the vacant title on the Might 18 Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury undercard. Opetaia was in management for a lot of the evening however pressured to outlive a late scare. His efficiency was greater than adequate to regain the IBF belt and retain his Ring crown.
All eyes are actually on the Nov. 16 Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez-Chris Billam-Smith WBA/WBO cruiserweight title unification bout at this location. Opetaia would very very similar to to face the winner. Both fighter would make for a terrific choice anyplace on the earth in 2025.
“I’m hoping that comes,” Opetaia instructed DAZN’s Chris Mannix after his win. “My workforce simply whispered in my ear that’s who’s subsequent. However thanks to (Saudi’s Normal Leisure Authority chairman) Turki Alalshikh for making this occur. I’m able to battle whoever he says.”
Jake Donovan is a senior author for The Ring and vice chairman of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America.
