Jai Opetaia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jai Opetaia
Statistics
Real name	Jai Tapu Opetaia
Rated at	Cruiserweight Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 2 in
Reach	76 in
Born	(1995-06-30) 30 June 1995 (age 30) Wyong, New South Wales, Australia
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	28
Wins	28
Wins by KO	22
Medal record Men's Amateur boxing Representing  Australia World Junior Championships Gold 2011 Astana Light heavyweight World Youth Championships Bronze 2012 Yerevan Heavyweight

Jai Opetaia (born 30 June 1995) is an Australian professional boxer. He is a two-time world champion in the cruiserweight division. He first held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title from 2022 to 2023. After a brief break, he won the vacant title again in 2024. He also holds the Ring magazine and lineal cruiserweight titles.

As an amateur boxer, Jai won a bronze medal at the 2012 Youth World Championships. He also proudly represented Australia at the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Many experts, including The Ring magazine and ESPN, consider Opetaia to be the best active cruiserweight boxer in the world.

Early Life and Family

Jai Opetaia was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His mother is Australian and his father is Samoan. Boxing runs deep in his family, with four generations on his father's side and three generations on his mother's side involved in the sport.

He also has famous relatives in other sports. He is related to Tim Cahill, who is Australia's top goal scorer in soccer. Another relative is Ben Roberts, a former international rugby league player for New Zealand.

Jai grew up on the Central Coast of New South Wales. In 2020, he moved his training to the Gold Coast. This move helped him chase his dream of becoming a world champion. Two years later, he achieved this dream in front of his new hometown fans.

Amateur Boxing Journey

Jai Opetaia started making a name for himself in amateur boxing at a young age.

Winning a World Junior Title

Less than a month after his 16th birthday, Jai traveled to Kazakhstan in 2011. He competed in the Junior World Championships. He won the gold medal in the light heavyweight division. In the final, he defeated Melvin Perry from Germany. This victory was a big moment, as it was the first time an Australian had won a junior boxing world championship.

Becoming the Youngest Australian Olympian

In February 2012, when he was still 16, Jai went to Hobart for the Australian Olympic qualifying tournament. He won the gold medal in the heavyweight division there. A month later, he competed in the Oceanic Olympic qualifying tournament in Canberra. He won the heavyweight final again, beating David Light from New Zealand. By doing this, Jai Opetaia became the youngest boxer ever to join an Australian Olympic team.

Competing at the Olympics

Before the 2012 Olympics, Jai traveled to Armenia. He competed in the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in the heavyweight division. He earned a bronze medal, losing a close semifinal match.

A month after turning 17, he went to London for the Olympics. He was the youngest boxer in the heavyweight division. He was defeated in the first round by Teymur Mammadov from Azerbaijan. In 2014, at 19 years old, Jai decided to end his amateur career. He wanted to become a professional boxer.

Professional Boxing Career

Jai Opetaia turned professional to pursue world titles.

Early Professional Fights

Jai's professional career began with a series of wins. On July 15, 2017, he fought Daniel Ammann for two vacant cruiserweight titles. He won by a technical knockout in the ninth round. Later that year, on October 21, 2017, he won the vacant IBF Youth cruiserweight title. He defeated Frankie Lopez by technical knockout in the first round.

He continued to win regional titles. In January 2018, he defended his Australian Cruiserweight title. In April 2018, he won the WBO Asia-Pacific cruiserweight title. He then defended this title and won the IBF Pan-Pacific cruiserweight title in June 2018.

In 2019, Jai won the WBA Oceania interim cruiserweight title. He defended it two months later and also won the WBO Global cruiserweight title. In November 2019, he defended these titles and won the first-ever IBF Asia-Oceania cruiserweight title. He continued his winning streak in October 2020, defending his IBF Asia-Oceania and WBO Global titles.

Becoming a World Champion

Opetaia vs. Briedis I

Jai Opetaia was set to challenge Mairis Briedis, who was the IBF, The Ring, and lineal cruiserweight champion. Their fight was first planned for April 2022. It was postponed twice due to Briedis getting sick and Opetaia getting injured. The fight finally happened on July 2, 2022, at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Australia.

Opetaia won the fight by a unanimous decision, becoming the new world champion. During the fight, Jai bravely continued even after breaking his jaw in two places. After his victory, he went straight to the hospital for surgery.

Defending the Title

After winning the title, Jai faced challenges with mandatory challengers. He had shoulder surgery in February 2023, which caused delays. After some changes in opponents, he agreed to a voluntary title defense against Jordan Thompson. This fight took place at the Wembley Arena in London, England, on September 30, 2023. Opetaia defeated Thompson by TKO in the fourth round, successfully defending his belt for the first time.

Vacating and Reclaiming the Title

On December 23, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Opetaia fought Ellis Zorro. Before the fight, Jai decided to give up his IBF title. This was because the IBF wanted him to fight Mairis Briedis again, who was recovering from an injury. The IBF did not approve his fight against Zorro as a title defense. Despite this, Opetaia won the fight against Zorro by knockout in the first round.

Jai Opetaia then had a rematch with Mairis Briedis for the vacant IBF cruiserweight championship. This fight was part of a big boxing event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event was first planned for February 17, 2024, but was moved to May 18, 2024. Opetaia defeated Briedis by unanimous decision, becoming a two-time world champion and a two-time IBF cruiserweight champion.

Recent Title Defenses

Jai Opetaia has continued to defend his IBF cruiserweight title.

• On October 12, 2024, he defended his title against Jack Massey in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He won the fight by stoppage in the sixth round.
• On January 8, 2025, he faced David Nyika and defended his title with a knockout win in the fourth round.
• On May 13, 2025, Opetaia made another defense in Australia against Italian boxer Claudio Squeo. The fight took place at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. Opetaia won the fight by knockout in the fifth round.

Professional Boxing Record

See also

• List of southpaw stance boxers
• List of world cruiserweight boxing champions