Jai Opetaia opens up on loss of mate Paul Griffin ahead of David Nyika fight

As he prepares to defend the IBF cruiserweight world title, Jai Opetaia reflects on his end goal – taking care of his friends and family – and pays tribute to one mate that won’t be there to support him.

When Jai Opetaia thinks about his end goal in boxing, the IBF cruiserweight world champion’s mind goes straight to those closest to him.

It’s not about fast cars, jewellery or mansions.

It’s about taking care of his friends and family.

“Just barbecues with the family – stress free – kicking back, having a laugh and enjoying it,” he says, while sitting by the pool and half-court basketball court at the back of the house he bought for his mum on the Gold Coast.

It’s a simple dream, and one tinged with sadness.

Sadness because one of the people who’d be sitting right there with him living out his dream – Paul Griffin – is gone.

‘Griffo’ would have been standing at the barbie, tongs in one hand, beer in the other, chatting the ears off anyone who’d listen.

Paul Griffin and Jai Opetaia. Picture: Facebook

They reckon there were 3000 people at Griff’s funeral in November, and the joke is that he probably had a beer (or a bender) with all of them at some point.

Griffin tragically died in early October after an alleged coward attack at the Ettamogah Pub in Kellyville in Sydney.

A widely loved businessman and a genuine knockabout bloke with a heart of gold, Griffo was an indispensable member of Team Opetaia since Jai became Australia’s youngest ever Olympic boxer at the London Games in 2012.

“Griffo’s good people,” Opetaia says now. “He’s been with me since I was about 15. He was the only sponsor I had, and was giving me $200 a week for that whole time.

“Now he’s gone in a lot more, but for so many of those years in my pro career, I was pretty much living off that $200 a week.”

It took a decade for Opetaia to go from promising amateur boxer in London to winning a world title and finally making some decent money.

Opetaia will defend his world title against late-notice Kiwi challenger David Nyika on Wednesday. Picture: Getty Images

There were some lean times in between though, and Griffo was there throughout.

“I broke my hand and got up to about 117 kilos and was in a cast for nine months,” Opetaia says. “I was fat, drunk, drinking all the time and using alcohol and drugs as a band aid emotionally.

“I was just off my head.

“My first session back, I punched the bag for two rounds, then sat on the bike and deadset sat there and was thinking, ‘My career is over, what have I done, I’ve just f****d my whole life’.”

Through it all, Griff kept sending that $200 a week.

“Griffo stuck by through all of that. He was in the trenches. That’s how special it is,” Opetaia says. “Just knowing he still believed in me, it helps.

“And even though it was only $200, at that time, bro, $200 was a lot of money for me.

“I used to wait for Friday and I used to refresh my account every couple of minutes until it was in there.

“Sometimes I’d spend it in an hour, other times I’d have to make it last a week.

“And he’d always show up for people. Money, you can make back, but time, you never get back. So when people invest their time in you, that’s precious.

“You can’t take that for granted.”

Dana, Robyn and Paul Griffin. Picture: Instagram

For the first time in a long time, Griff won’t be there in person to watch Jai fight when he defends his world title against late-notice Kiwi challenger David Nyika on Wednesday.

But Opetaia knows he’ll be watching from above, and will take a piece of his memory into the ring with him as he plots his path towards winning all the belts at cruiserweight and eventually being able to kick back with a beer and a barbecue.

“What hurts the most is when this is done, and we do have that beer and we do get to really enjoy how this journey’s ended, he won’t be there – that’s what sucks the most,” he says of his mate and sponsor. “For someone that’s been there from the start, I just wish he could have been there at the end, you know?

“But it is what it is, bro. I know that that faith he had in me and him showing that faith in me is a massive motivation for why I train so hard every day.

“How can I waste that?”

Originally published as Jai Opetaia opens up on loss of mate Paul Griffin ahead of David Nyika fight