Opetaia fuming over ‘bulls--t’ bout that risks it all for no reward

Jai Opetaia initially referred to his looming Gold Coast blockbuster against Italian Claudio Squeo as a ‘bulls--t’ fight - but has clarified what he meant: “This will be a serious fight.”

Fight Press Conference at Nineteen at The Star ahead of Jai Opetaia world title fight in June. Jai Opetaia is ready and waiting. Picture Glenn Hampson

Australia’s top-rated boxer Jai Opetaia has laid bare his frustration at taking a ‘bulls--t’ fight that has left him with everything to lose in his quest to unify the world’s cruiserweight belts.

Opetaia, 29, will put his 27-0 record and IBF belt on the line in a voluntary title defence against 34-year-old Italian Claudio Squeo (17-0) on the Gold Coast on June 8.

The Gold Coast resident previously slammed the fight as ‘bulls--t’ in an interview with broadcaster DAZN.

Opetaia labelled it a ‘stay busy’ affair as he awaits his chance to unify the division against Mexican Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.

Opetaia said his frustration lay with the boxing system that allowed Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) to slip through his grasp and left him to fight Squeo, who will step up significantly in class to meet Opetaia in his prime at the Gold Coast Convention Centre.

“I never said this fight was beneath me,” Opetaia said.

Fight Press Conference at Nineteen at The Star ahead of Jai Opetaia world title fight in June. Jai Opetaia is ready and waiting. Picture Glenn Hampson

“I’m not downplaying this guy as a bad fighter or that I think he’s easy for me or anything. It’s just not what I was chasing - unification fights. Unfortunately they are difficult to get over the line.

“This will still be a serious fight. He’s got everything to gain and nothing to lose. He’s dangerous, he comes forward and hits hard. It’s a good fight but in the position I am in, I’m already a world champion. I hold the Ring Magazine and IBF, so this is a ‘maintain’ fight in my career.

“If I win I don’t really gain much, just another number on my record. Career-wise, it’s not going to push me up. So that’s what I meant by that.

“It’s a serious fight and if I don’t take him seriously I will fall backwards.”

Opetaia is the only Australian in BoxRec’s pound-for-pound top 50 fighters but would suffer a major slide should he become Squeo’s 18th professional victim.

A loss would almost certainly see Opetaia’s chance to challenge Ramirez for his WBO World Cruiser belt washed away.

That Opetaia aired his frustration publicly is notable. He has always been happiest letting his fists do the talking.

“I just feel like why is being the best cruiserweight in the world not good enough,” he said. “Do I have to be the best at a press conference, better than being in the ring? It doesn’t make sense to me. I just want to focus on winning and let everything else fall into place.”

With business taken care of, Opetaia hopes the fates will align and finally deliver him his shot at Ramirez.

“We’ve been chasing unification for such a long time,” he said.

“I’ll have a unification fight wherever they put me. It’s gotten to that point where as soon as they call me for a unification fight in a location I’m saying yes.”

Originally published as Opetaia fuming over ‘bulls--t’ bout that risks it all for no reward