Jai Opetaia, the IBF and Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion, wants to move up to heavyweight and take on Oleksandr Usyk. But he's got a few things to do first.
The Australian fighter has been on a tear lately. He grabbed the IBF strap from Mairis Briedis in 2022 and beat him again in a rematch this May. He's also stopped Jack Massey, David Nyika, and Claudio Squeo in recent fights.
Now, Opetaia's got his sights set on bigger things. He told DAZN:
"I want to move up to heavyweight eventually, but I want these unification fights to become undisputed and then be able to move up there. It's just frustrating, I've got this goal in my head, and I've had it for such a long time. I'm just trying to tick these boxes."
Opetaia's not messing around. He wants to clean out the cruiserweight division before he makes the jump. And when he does, he's not coming back down.
"Once I've gone to heavyweight, I want to stay at heavyweight."
His ultimate goal? A showdown with Usyk for all the marbles.
"[A fight with Usyk] is the goal. I'd love to do that. We've just got to get these unification fights out of the way and then I'd love to fight Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship."
Usyk's got his own plans, though. He's set to face Daniel Dubois, the current IBF champ, as he tries to become the first undisputed heavyweight champ in the four-belt era. He's even talking about a mixed martial arts fight before he hangs up his gloves.
While Opetaia's got his eyes on Usyk, there's another big fight that could happen closer to home. There's talk of a potential heavyweight clash with fellow Aussie Justis Huni. Huni's coming off a tough loss to Fabio Wardley, where he got knocked out late in the fight despite being ahead on the scorecards.
Opetaia's got a clear path laid out. Unify the cruiserweight division, move up to heavyweight, and take on the best. It's a big mountain to climb, but he seems ready for the challenge.
