Results
Mairis Briedis vs Jai Opetaia – Results and Fight Report
Mairis Briedis went to the Gold Coast Convention Center in Australia and found that a tardy start is high-priced, as Jai Opetaia became the fresh IBF cruiserweight champion with a bold points victory.
Briedis (28-2, KO20) became the consensus number one cruiserweight and a three-time world champion, after previously also holding the WBC and WBO titles. The Latvian won the IBF crown, along with the Muhammad Ali Trophy, in September 2020 with a majority nod against Yuniel Dorticos, and his only loss came via a hard-fought majority decision to Oleksandr Usyk in January 2018. Opetaia (22-0, KO17) passed his biggest test as IBF regional champion and failed to match his opponent’s elite level.
It was a steady opening round for both, with little action, but the champion was cut over the right eye. Opetaia was in good spirits and boxing well from range, landing an eye-catching combination in the second round, and the pair opened up in the third. Opetaia gained the upper hand in the exchanges, but it was Mairis Briedis who finished strongly, landing a couple of neat punches behind schedule in the round.
The fighter proved to be in inspired form, hurting Briedis in the fourth quarter with a volley of punches, and a massive uppercut badly damaged Mairis Briedis’ nose as he was battered, and further punishment was meted out in the fifth round.
OPETAIA BEATS BRIEDISE UP ‼️🥊 He overdid it and outboxed the cruiserweight king, showing off his great chin as Briedis came in tough in the closing rounds 👏🏼 This clip is from round 4, where Opetaia hurts Briedis with a attractive corkscrew uppercut 😮💨 #BridesOpetaia #Box pic.twitter.com/g3TdWP0Y4J
— No nonsense in boxing (@NNBoxing) July 2, 2022
Opetaia showed no signs of slowing down, but Briedis dug deep into a respectable seventh and eighth. Opetaia regained control in the ninth period when Briedis was forced to take more risks, but the champion uncorked a powerful right hand that rocked Opetaia in round ten and the home favourite did well to end the session. Jai Opetaia showed plenty of heart despite the pain of a suspected broken jaw and grimly held on for the final bell of this epic.
Two scores of 116-112 and a third of 115-113 confirmed that Jai Opetaia was the fresh world champion.
…and NEW! 🇦🇺 #BridesOpetaia #box pic.twitter.com/VTQkNNCXkz
— przemek garczarczyk (@garnekmedia) July 2, 2022
Conor Wallace (9-1, KO6) won the vacant IBF Pan Pacific featherlight heavyweight title and the WBA Oceana belt after winning a split decision over the world ranking Faris Chevalier (13-2, KO7). A 96-94 score for Chevalier was rightly overturned by two 98-92 verdicts for Wallace.
In a stormy case, Koen Mazoudier (10-2, KO4) became Ocean’s fresh WBA super welterweight title for the second time, winning by split decision Joel Camilleri (22-8-1, KO10)The two met last November, with Mazoudier winning an eight-round split decision and this time winning by scores of 99-92 and 98-92, while the third judge somehow scored it 96-95 in Camileri’s favor.
In the middleweight Isaac Hardman (13-1, KO11) flattened Beau Hartas (6-2, KO4) in the first round, winning a devastating knockout victory.
OH MY 😳! Issac Hardman scores a first-round KO in his comeback against Beau Hartas #BridesOpetaia subcard pic.twitter.com/bUX1adsvnH
— TstreeT Controversy (@Terel_Vann) July 2, 2022
Two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist David Nyika (4-0, KO3) remained undefeated, winning in the second round in the cruiserweight division Louis Marsters (1-3, KO1).
Taylah Robertson (6-1, KO2) impressed, and Brisbane resident stopped Venezuela Yoselin Fernandez (11-3, KO5) in the tenth and final round of the super flyweight contest for the IBF Youth title.
In the featherweight Dana Coolwell (8-2, KO6) arrested Lorenz Ladrada (11-3-1, KO3) with a body shot in the fourth of eight rounds, and Miles Zelewski (11-2, KO9) arrested Shiva Mishra (8-6, KO5) in the sixth and final round.
David Benavidez gave some harsh advice to Mike Tyson following his loss to Jake Paul last weekend.
Benavidez was one of millions of people around the world who witnessed Paul comfortably defeat an extremely faded Tyson to score wide unanimous decision victory.
At 58 years antique, “Iron Mike” looked like a shell of the man who ruled the heavyweight division in his prime, and some observers even believe he was carried by the YouTuber and could have been stopped at any time.
Despite the fact that the two only competed for two minutes, the fight was fully sanctioned and will go down in their records.
It was Tyson’s first professional fight since his loss to Kevin McBride in 2005, Benavidez said. Fighting Hub TV this should be his last.
“He needs to retire.”
Offering further analysis, “The Mexican Monster” explained that he was simply relieved to see the former heavyweight king leave the ring unscathed.
“It was a good fight and a good turnout, but I don’t want to see Mike Tyson fight again. Let’s hope he says it.
“𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 😕
Jake Paul admits he stopped Mike Tyson last night.#PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/yIDrNf138b
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) November 16, 2024
“It was a good performance, Mike Tyson won there and earned well, and he deserves it. I’m just content he didn’t get injured there.
“Mike Tyson is Mike Tyson, but 60-year-old Mike Tyson is different.”
In a post-fight interview, Tyson seemed interested in fighting Jake’s brother, Logan, but has since insisted on social media that he will not return to the ring.
The series has reportedly attracted approximately 108 million viewers on Netflix, making it by far the most-watched boxing event in recent memory.
Tyson grossed an estimated $20 million, while “The Problem Child” is believed to have grossed about twice that amount.
Benavidez spoke at the press conference kicking off his Feb. 1 fight with David Morrell, which is widely considered to be one of the toughest of his career.
‼️ David Benavidez and David Morrell hot up and exchange words during their first fight before February 1…
[🎥 @PremierBoxing] pic.twitter.com/LZtU32nZ9Q
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBenson) November 19, 2024
The pair will face each other at T-Mobile Arena on Amazon Prime pay-per-view, with the winner all but guaranteed a shot at the delicate heavyweight world title.
After defeating Mike Tyson last weekend, Jake Paul once again expressed his desire to face UFC star Conor McGregor – only this time in an unusual style.
Paul threw plenty of taunts at McGregor in hopes of luring him into the ring, although the Irishman was largely reluctant to engage in any discussion.
“The Problem Child” faced widespread criticism after the fight against Tyson, who at 58 looked like a shell of his former self.
Even though the main event wasn’t much of a competition, it was a show it reportedly attracted 60 million viewers north on the streaming giant Netflix’s platform, making it by far the most watched boxing event in recent times.
Paul seems to have a penchant for large names now and took to Twitter to try and get McGregor to fight MMA.
“Dear Conor, I know you told my team you would fight me at 170 pounds. This never happens.
“But let’s do it in MMA. No weight category. Just like it used to be done. But you won’t.
Dear Conor, I know you told my team you would fight me at 170 pounds. This never happens. But let’s do it in MMA. No weight category. Just like it used to be done. But you won’t
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) November 16, 2024
‘The Notorious’ quickly responded by writing the following (now deleted) tweet, accompanied by a photo of 82-year-old US politician Mitch McConnell.
“Nakisa has already judged me, boy, this guy will be next after you. Good luck, buddy.
Paul McGregor fighting in the ring would not only be a test of skill, but also of ego. While McGregor has plenty of experience, Paul’s speed, size and unconventional approach to boxing could create an unpredictable outcome.
However, the Dubliner would be a huge favorite if they managed to get a fight inside the Octagon, even though Paul was younger and bigger.
Regardless of who wins, the fight will be a monumental payday for both fighters, and the fight will almost certainly be one of the most entertaining ever.
This Saturday, Latino Night will take place in Riyad, and the main event will be the fight for the WBA cruiserweight title from Mexico, Gilberto Ramirez, against the head of the WBO, Chris Billam-Smith.
DAZN is broadcasting the Ramirez vs Billam-Smith fight live.
Despite great potential and a reign as the WBO super middleweight champion, Ramirez (46-1, 30 KO) has largely won against an unnamed opponent.
He ultimately lost the team’s undefeated record in November 2022. clearly defeated by Dmitry Bivol in the fight for the WBA (Super) featherlight heavyweight title.
The move to the cruiserweight division saw some of his best performances, and a wide-scoring victory over Joe Smith Jr paved the way for a world title fight in which he won the WBA belt by defeating Arsen Goulamirian ten rounds to two in March.
After a career-opening loss to Richard Riakporhe, Billam-Smith (20-1, 13 KO) rose through the ranks, eventually winning the WBO belt with a majority decision victory over Lawrence Okolie, with Okolie losing a total of three times.
The Bournemouth man then forced Mateusz Masternak to retire after eight rounds, with Billam-Smith trailing on two scorecards, and last defended in June, taking revenge on Riakporhe by scoring points at Selhurst Park.
Prediction: Ramirez is always huge no matter what weight he fights at, and will be the biggest test of Billam-Smith’s career. I think this may be a bridge too far for the Englishman and Ramirez may score in the later rounds.
Chris Billam-Smith is confident he will get the job done on Saturday 😤#RiyadSeason | #LatinNight | Live November 16 | FREE on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/ZOY1wHshgj
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 12, 2024
Ramirez and Barboza go to war
A massive clash with world title implications awaits us at the last minute as former unified super lightweight world champion Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-1, 18 KO) meets Arnold Barboza Jr (30-0, 11 KO) within twelve rounds.
Since his only loss to Josh Taylor to clear the division in 2021, Ramirez has fought once a year, defeating Jose Pedraza (UD12), Richard Commey (KO11) and Rances Barthelemy (UD12) to be the number one contender for the WBC title.
Barboza is long undefeated and has boxed twice in 2024, which included an eighth-round retirement victory over Xolisani Ndongeni, followed by a split decision victory over Sean McComb last time out. This is his first scheduled appearance in twelve innings, after eight innings played in ten innings.
Prediction: I’m leaning towards the more experienced Ramirez who will get the job done on points.
There is no better place than the season in Riyad #LatinNight for the fight he’s been waiting for‼️ Jose Ramirez 🆚 Arnold Barboza Jr. it will be totally 𝐖 𝐀 𝐑 ⚔️#LatinNight | #RiyadSeason | LIVE November 16 | FREE on DAZN pic.twitter.com/6njPFoF05D
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) November 13, 2024
The farmer has everything to do with Zepeda
The WBC interim lightweight title is up for grabs and the talented William Zepeda (31-0, 27 KO) will face Tevin Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KO).
Zepeda is worth watching, as he has been at a championship level in his last five fights. All of his last four fights ended early, and after forcing Maxie Hughes to retire after four rounds in March, he knocked out Giovanni Cabrera in three in July.
Former IBF featherweight champion Farmer is coming off a hard-fought points loss to Raymond Muratalla. Zepeda should be too heated for Farmer here and could win early.
Minimum weight world champion titles up for grabs
The next fight for the world title will take place in the minimum weight class, where Oscar Collazo (10-0, 7 KO) should defend the WBO belt for the fourth time by defeating Thammanoon Niyomtrong (25-0, 9 KO).
The return of Duarte and Ziyad
Oscar Duarte (27-2-1, 22 KO) can ensure his twelve-round super lightweight fighter scores points against Botirzhon Akhmedov (10-3, 9 KO), and welterweight contender Ziyad Almaayouf (6-0, 1 KO) should win at this gala. cards over six against Juan Carlos Ramirez Garcia (5-6, 0 KO).
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