Boxing
Opetaia pounces on Jack after the final reunion
Published
4 months agoon
Jai Opetaia plans to reluctantly fly to Los Angeles and secure his next goal in person after the Australian said he would take his time pursuing his dream of unifying the cruiserweight division.
The undefeated IBF and The Ring champion will defend his belts against Turkish challenger Huseyin Cinkara (23-0) on December 6 on the Gold Coast.
This will be his eighth fight since winning both belts more than three years ago and comes after thunderous knockouts in his only two appearances in 2025, which improved his record to 28-0.
However, the 30-year-old was unable to connect his belts with those victories, with Opetai’s ruthless power and relatively tiny commercial market in Australia deterring other belt holders.
Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, owner of the WBO and WBA belts, is the biggest culprit, having announced his defense against American David Benavidez in May next year, which will be his return from shoulder surgery.
Swedish-born Badou Jack, who boxes in Las Vegas, will put his WBC belt on the line in a rematch with Noel Mikaelian on December 6 in Los Angeles.
Team Opetai has slammed Ramirez for avoiding Opetai, who will instead be targeting Jack’s WBC belt first if all goes to plan on the Gold Coast next Saturday.
“They are making fun of each other and we just keep winning,” Opetaia told AAP on Tuesday.
Opetaia wants to move up in the weight class and become a multi-division world champion, but not before winning all the belts in the cruiserweight division.
“I’m not in a hurry. I’m relaxing, I’m winning, I’m feeling good and I’m fighting, I’m doing my thing and those fights will come,” he said.
“I won’t let anyone rush me and make my dreams come true.”
Tasman Fighters boss Mick Francis, who promotes Opetaia, told AAP the pair would fly to America immediately after the Cinkara fight to impose the issue on the winner of that fight.
Opetaia is not interested in jumping through hoops, but she will have fun.
“I don’t know why I would fly up and get in his face; it’s getting kind of stupid,” he said.
“Everyone wants these fights to happen, people want to see these unification fights.
“If he wants to fight, we will fight.”
Gold Coast talent will headline the event, which will feature former world champion Jason Moloney, heavyweights Justis Huni and Teremoana Jnr, Max McIntyre, Ben Mahoney and Paul Fleming against Jake Wyllie.
In a groundbreaking move, Francis has partnered with Stan Sports on a pay-per-view deal that will be the biggest boxing production on the streaming service, competing with the Fox Sports main event and global streaming service DAZN.
Opetaia, the youngest Australian Olympic boxer at the 2012 London Olympics when he was just 17, and Huni were Francis’ first signings in 2017.
“We have always gone against the grain and done things differently,” Opetaia said.
“You’re starting to see it now, but for us it’s just another day at the office.
“I just focus on winning because that’s what counts. If I lose the fight, everyone will scatter.”
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Boxing
Swiss No. 1 Seifeddine Letaief challenges rival Arbnor Jashari
Published
2 minutes agoon
March 10, 2026
Swiss lightweight Seifeddine Letaief told World Boxing News he is ready to settle his growing ring rivalry with fellow undefeated fighter Arbnor Jashari.
Letaief is currently in first place in the Swiss rankings for his division, while Jashari is in second place, which is a natural matchup between the two undefeated fighters.
A meeting between the pair would pit the two highest-ranked lightweights in the country against each other.
Tensions escalated with exchanges on social media, FaceTime calls about a potential fight and exchanges of words.
According to Letaief, the rivalry even escalated to the point that Jashari tried to involve the SwissBoxing committee.
“At one point he even tried to block me from SwissBoxing, claiming that I had humiliated him on social media,” Letaief told World Boxing News.
Swiss competition
Letaief insists that from his point of view the situation is plain. The undefeated lightweight says he is ready to fight and believes the fight should happen now rather than later.
“I’m ready to fight and decide everything in the ring,” he explained.
SwissBoxing has suggested waiting until both fighters have built bigger physiques before moving on to staging the fight, but Letaief believes the circumstances already make it an attractive fight for the local scene.
The clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the country, combined with the rivalry between Zurich and Basel, may arouse great interest in Switzerland.
Unbroken records
Letaief, 23, turned professional in September 2024 and has compiled an undefeated record of 6-0, including two knockouts. He lives in Winterthur and has fought several times in the Zurich region, establishing himself as one of the country’s emerging prospects.
Meanwhile, Jashari has had a slightly longer professional career. The 25-year-old made his debut in April 2022 and has a 7-0 record, which includes two knockouts.
Both fighters also share a common opponent, Lasha Giorgi Vardiashvili, and each of them scored a six-round decision victory in 2025.
For now, the fight that many in the Swiss boxing community want to see remains unsigned, and Letaief has made it clear he is ready to move forward as soon as the opportunity arises.
“Despite all these talks, the fight has still not been decided. For me, the matter is plain: I am ready to fight and decide everything in the ring. I believe that this fight must take place now,” Letaief concluded.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
Boxing
Oleksandr Usyk announces the list of his last three opponents and confirms that he will then retire
Published
1 hour agoon
March 10, 2026
Oleksandr Usyk still has three fights left and hopes to extend his record to 27-0 before hanging up his gloves for good.
The elite Ukrainian was undisputed at cruiserweight before repeating the feat twice at heavyweight. In both divisions, he has victories over Murat Gassiew, Mairis Briedis, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
I keep talking Inside the RingUsyk assured fans that while this fight may not be at the elite level he is known for, his last two fights will be.
“Rico, this is the first one. Second, Wardley-Dubois wins. The third fight is my friend Greedy Belly, Tyson Fury.”
When asked how much time he had left, Usyk confirmed that he was three years aged and had not played.
Fabio Wardley rose from interim to full WBO champion when Usyk vacated the belt last year, and he puts that status on the line against Dubois on May 9 in Manchester. If “DDD” wins tonight, Usyk’s last two scheduled fights could be trilogy fights.
The 39-year-old from Simferopol defeated Dubois and Fury twice, stopping the former in both cases and the latter on points. Fan interest in the fights may therefore be circumscribed.
However, if Wardley manages to remain with the organization in two months’ time, many would like to see the Ipswich fighter team up with the Usyk fighter who has established himself as the greatest heavyweight of a generation.
Whether this would be an uncontested fight seems unlikely. Although Usyk’s WBC belt in the match with Verhoeven is controversial, the IBF and WBA have not commented on this fight yet.
Moreover, the WBC has ordered Usyk to face Agit Kabayel next, which is clearly not in his plans. This means that it may be stripped of all three lanes in the near future.
“I just want to fight in Dublin to finish my career. Of course we’re still hoping for Croke Park, holding on to a little bit of hope that it will happen,” Taylor told RTE.
“Fighting my last fight in our most iconic arena. How special would that be? I think it would be absolutely extraordinary if I was able to do it. I’m not sure if it will happen or not. Either way, I will end my career here and I’m very excited about that.”
Taylor has only fought twice in Ireland as a professional, both fights will take place in 2023 against Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena in Dublin. Cameron won her first fight by majority decision, handing Taylor the only defeat of her career, before Taylor regained the undisputed junior welterweight championship six months later in a rematch.
The 38-year-old Irish star remains one of the greatest fighters in women’s boxing history. Taylor won Olympic gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics before turning professional and quickly winning world titles in two categories. In 2019, she became the undisputed lightweight champion and later repeated the feat at 140 pounds.
Much of Taylor’s recent profile has been built on her rivalry with Amanda Serrano. Their first fight at Madison Square Garden in 2022 was widely celebrated and helped augment the visibility of women’s boxing. Taylor later completed the trilogy by majority vote in July, increasing her record to 25-1 (6 KO).
The possibility of saying goodbye to the stadium became the subject of interest for its long-time promoter. Hearn admitted it would take significant work to turn the idea into reality, but he believes this moment will be historic for Irish sport.
“It’s a hell of a lot of work to make sure one of the greatest athletes of all time fulfills her biggest dream. And I have to deliver Croke Park. I have to,” Hearn said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“If I don’t give it my all, if I don’t put in every effort to make it happen, I won’t do justice to Katie and I won’t do it to myself. Because it would be the biggest sporting event in Irish history.”
Hearn said talks with Croke Park officials had taken place previously and had resumed as Taylor’s career came to an end.
“There is more momentum this time,” he said.
No opponent has been determined for Taylor’s last fight. Hearn said the focus remains on determining whether the stadium plan can be secured before making any player selections.
“Obviously you want to have an opponent who is compelling, competitive and has a story behind it,” Hearn said. “Nothing has really been discussed or said about the opponent. We are really trying to ensure that discussions with Croke Park allow for that possibility before we pursue it further.”
Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most crucial fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.
Swiss No. 1 Seifeddine Letaief challenges rival Arbnor Jashari
Oleksandr Usyk announces the list of his last three opponents and confirms that he will then retire
Eddie Hearn fights for Katie Taylor in Croke Park
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