Carl Froch wants to see IBF and Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia move up to heavyweight. The former world champion boxer shared his thoughts on his YouTube channel, comparing Opetaia's potential move to Oleksandr Usyk's successful transition.
The heavyweight division is buzzing with action. Usyk recently became the first undisputed champion in almost 25 years after beating Tyson Fury. Now, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois are set to fight for the IBF belt at Wembley in September. Joshua, a former two-time world champion, will face the newly-elevated Dubois. The division also saw Zhilei Zhang beat Deontay Wilder in June, while Martin Bakole stopped Jared Anderson.
On his YouTube channel "Froch on Fighting", Carl Froch shared his thoughts on Opetaia:
"Opetaia's a monster at cruiserweight. He's awkward, he's a southpaw, he's strong, he's a banger. He's a top fighter. I think he'll have one eye on stepping up to heavyweight, similar to what Usyk did. He's good enough to step up."
Opetaia has proven himself as the best cruiserweight in the world. He briefly worked as Fury's sparring partner for the first Usyk bout. In his last fight, Opetaia reclaimed the IBF title by beating Mairis Breidis.
The ferocious Aussie has become a fan favorite. He's set to fight Jack Massey next on the undercard of the light heavyweight clash between Dimiry Bivl and Artur Beterbiev in Saudi Arabia. While Opetaia hasn't ruled out a move to heavyweight, he first wants to unify the cruiserweight belts, following in Usyk's footsteps.
Froch's call for Opetaia to move up adds another layer of excitement to the already thrilling heavyweight scene. With his skills and power, Opetaia could make waves in the division, just as Usyk did before him.
