‘King of our family’: The hidden reason behind why Jai Opetaia wants Gilberto Ramirez’s WBO world title

Jai Opetaia is the IBF and Ring Magazine cruiserweight world champion, but the Aussie pound-for-pound king desperately wants the WBO title as well. This is why.

A win over Italian challenger Claudio Squeo could see Jai Opetaia propelled into a blockbuster unification bout against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez later in the year.

Ramirez holds two of the four world titles, but it’s the Mexican’s WBO belt that Opetaia really craves.

There’s a long family history behind why he wants that belt in particular.

When Jai was a kid, his boxing grandfather would tell him the WBO belt belongs to him.

His name is William ‘Billy’ Opetaia. WBO.

“It’s something my dad just made up for himself because of his name, but it stuck with Jai,” Opetaia’s dad and trainer, Tapu, tells Code Sports.

“He’s had that stuck in his head since he was a kid. That’s been what he’s chasing.”

READ MORE: ‘Everyone else second’: Aussie pound-for-pound king confirmed

Billy Opetaia is battling dementia, but shadow boxes every day.

Tapu, Jai and Billy Opetaia in the ring together. Picture: Instagram/Supplied

Opetaia’s manager, Mick Francis adds: “Jai wants to put that belt around his grandfather’s waist, not over his headstone.

“This is why Jai is so passionate. He feels his time is running out.”

A ferocious middleweight and even more legendary trainer back in his day, there are many stories of Billy guiding at-risk kids away from a life crime and into the boxing gym.

It was Billy who started the Opetaia name in boxing.

Jai has taken it global.

“My last name, having it on these posters – I don’t see my last name when I look at these posters – I see their last name,” Jai tells Code Sports.

“It means a lot to see their name up in bright lights.”

It would mean even more for Opetaia to finally claim the WBO title and give it to his grandad, who is 84 now and suffers from dementia.

“Boxing is all he speaks about,” Opetaia says. “He’s getting on, he’s got a bit of dementia now, but he’s always shadow boxing – he’s good energy.

“He’s someone that I’ve always looked up to. He’s been a superhero to me.

“He’ll forget (I’m world champion), then he’ll watch the fight again and it’s like I’ve won it all over again. It’s a good feeling.

“He’s the king of our family.”

Jai says his own relentless work ethic came straight from Billy.

“I remember when I was younger, he was in the first stages of dementia, but he was still going on his five and 10 kilometre runs,” Jai says.

“They were getting worried that he’d go for a run and he’d forget to come home. But it’s just what kept him sane, you know?

“I remember seeing him training in the back yard as an old man, doing weights and chin-ups. He used to hang this towel on a wooden fence and just pull himself up and do chin-ups.

“He’s laid that pathway for hard work and training hard.”

Jai and his father, Tapu, training this week. Picture: Getty Images

Which makes Jai’s IBF world title defence against Squeo on Sunday even more important.

A loss would all but ruin his plans of one day giving the WBO belt to his grandfather.

It would also set him back years to the days when he was a lowly laborer on jobsites.

Opetaia had a flashback to those very days while speaking to media this week.

“I just spotted a guy I used to work with,” he said, peering out over the press pack. “That’s a blast from the past.

“We used to walk around the jobsites picking up rubbish. We were the janitors of the worksite – it was filthy.”

That’s real pressure, he says.

“The pressure of getting my family out of the struggles and to move forward in life and level up – I’ve always had that pressure,” he says. “Random people putting pressure on me means nothing.

Italy’s Claudio Squeo is promising to pull off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Picture: Getty Images

“Without winning these fights, I’m four years back. It’s gonna make life very hard for me.

“It’s do or die for me.”

While Opetaia has already changed his family’s life, the nuggetty Squeo is still looking for his moment in the sun.

The 17-0 Italian says he was inspired to start boxing after watching Russell Crowe in Cinderella Man.

A $26 underdog, the 34-year-old is promising to pull off one of the biggest upsets in modern boxing history.

“This is a really big opportunity and against Jai, it’s the most important night of my life,” Squeo said. “It’s a big opportunity for me.

“In the last 30 years, no one in Italy has won a big fight like this. To go back home with the belt would be super.”

Originally published as ‘King of our family’: The hidden reason behind why Jai Opetaia wants Gilberto Ramirez’s WBO world title