IBF heavyweight champion Jay Opetaia (27-0, 21 KOs) says he wants his next unification fight against WBA/WBO champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez after his fourth-round knockout of challenger David Niik (10-1, 9 KOs) on Wednesday night in Australia.
Inside Game Concerns
Opetaia, 29, will have to do much better against Zurdo Ramirez to defeat the unified champion. The lack Jai showed on the inside against Niika tonight would be exploited by Zurdo, who is an outstanding close range fighter. That’s the best part of his game. He would beat Opetai in an inside fight and cover him with punches.
We saw tonight that Jai is a one-armed fighter, only capable of landing his left with authority and having to be on the outside to generate power. He was average on the inside when Niika forced him into that fight by closing space, wrestling and punching. If this was Ramirez, Jai would be out of his league and probably get knocked out.
According to Tasman Fighters boss Jake Donovan, Mick Francis, May 3 is the potential date for a unification clash between Opetaia and Zurdo Ramirez. Now, the wily side is trying to negotiate a match. It won’t be easy.
Opetaia is a good fighter in the Buffalo mold, but he has zero game, and he’s not built for a fighter like Gilberto Ramirez, Oleksandr Usyk, or even Artur Beterbiev. He’s too one-dimensional and more of a prankster.
Niika’s Dogfight Tactics
“I want those struggles for unification. “I want all those belts around the waist,” Opetaja said media at the post-fight press conference after the victory over Njik. “I’m chasing unification battles, but if they put someone else in front of me, I can’t help.”
“I was kind of shocked how he came out,” Opetaia said of Niika’s aggression. “My old man told me, ‘He wants to have a dog fight.’ “If he wants to have a dog fight, let’s have a dog fight.”
Niika fought Opetaia on equal terms, fighting and torturing him inside. His tactic of turning the fight into a dogfight was quite effective. Jai ended the fight in the fourth round when he went outside, hurt Niik with a left hand and then floored him with combinations.