Jai Opetaia returns to action this weekend when he defends his IBF cruiserweight title against Jack Massey on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol.
The Australian star has been one of boxing’s biggest breakthrough stars in recent years and Tony Bellew, a former world cruiserweight champion himself, is a big admirer of the young fighter.
The fight, live on DAZN , will see Opetaia take on another British fighter after enjoying recent successes against Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro.
In those bouts, Opetaia demonstrated a cold ruthlessness and he’ll be hoping to do the same when he faces Massey on Saturday night.
As a previous ruler at cruiserweight, Bellew has always kept a close eye on the division where he enjoyed several memorable nights.
With Opetaia currently sitting atop the rankings, Bellew likes what he’s seen so far, and he still thinks there’s more to come.
“You can't fault him, and he reminds me of a fighter from past generations who always stayed busy,” said Bellew when speaking exclusively to DAZN.
“He’s an active world champion who’s always in the gym and you can tell he takes his craft very seriously because he’s always pushing and demanding more of himself.
“He’s got many qualities, but his work ethic impresses me, and you can see how focused he is on his goals. He’s achieved a lot so far, but this is just the beginning for him.”
| 11.15pm | Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol | IBF, WBC, WBO and WBA light heavyweight titles |
| 10pm | Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke 2 | For Wardley's British heavyweight title |
| 9pm | Jai Opetaia vs. Jack Massey | For Opetaia's IBF cruiserweight title |
| 8pm | Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Kamil Szeremeta | Middleweight |
| 7pm | Skye Nicolson vs. Raven Chapman | For Nicolson's WBC women's featherweight title |
| 6pm | Ben Whittaker vs. Liam Cameron | Light heavyweight |
| 5.35pm | Mohammaed Alakel vs. Jesus Gonzalez | Lightweight |
Bellew, who participated in high profile bouts against Junior Makabu and Oleksandr Usyk at cruiserweight, can relate to Opetaia’s incredible desire after giving his all to achieve world title glory.
Walking away from the sport in 2018, Bellew exited boxing as Opetaia was making his ascent, but how does the Liverpool fighter believe he would have fared against the man from down under?
“He’s a stylistic nightmare for me,” revealed Bellew, heaping compliments on the current IBF belt holder.
“He’s a southpaw with a big punch so there’s a couple of problems and he’s also capable of fighting on the inside so he has a lot of things going for him.
“I’d welcome the challenge, and I will say he does give you some openings. I’d have to take advantage of that, but it would be a hard night. That’s what I’ll say about him.”
DAZN
Watch Beterbiev vs. Bivol and huge undercard on DAZN
Watch Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol and the full fight card on October 12 on DAZN Pay-Per-View, which includes Fabio Wardley, Frazer Clark, Chris Eubank Jr, Jai Opetaia, Ben Whittaker and Skye Nicolson all fighting.
The PPV is priced at £19.99 for UK viewers. To purchase and find the prices in your region click here.
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