ON August 8 Jai Opetaia and Richard Riakporhe will uncover if their respective promoters have coughed up sufficient cash to provide their struggle a major benefit.
The two cruiserweights have been ordered to face each other by the IBF whose belt is within the fingers of Opetaia.
After Mateusz Masternak withdrew from his place as obligatory challenger Richard Riakporhe was subsequent in line. The 33-year-old has been in glorious type since becoming a member of Ben Shalom and Boxxer in 2021. Five wins in two years have thrust the unbeaten Londoner into the combination to face the perfect at 200lbs. ‘The Midnight Train’ saved Shalom on board by signing a contract extension in May.
Opetaia’s profession has stalled since his magnificent win over former cruiserweight ruler Mairis Briedis final summer time. One of the largest upsets of the yr demonstrated the Australian’s talents as properly as his toughness having received with a fractured jaw.
Issues exterior the ring have prevented the champion from constructing on his well-known victory. The 28-year-old’s fortunes just lately took a flip for the higher this month when he joined forces with Eddie Hearn who has signed a number of fighters from Down Under over the past two years.
“No one wants to fight Jai and that’s the problem – they know they’re going to get beat,” Opetaia’s supervisor Mick Francis instructed AAP.
“It doesn’t matter if they fight on the Gold Coast, the UK or on the moon. He’s the baddest cruiserweight we’ve seen, and we’ve never had anyone genuinely call out Jai, ever.”
The August 8 purse bids pits Matchroom in opposition to Boxxer as soon as once more after May’s debacle which noticed a struggle between British heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke go down the drain. Should Hearn win subsequent month then the chances are Opetaia vs Riakporhe will land in Australia. Should Shalom come up trumps then Riakporhe will get residence benefit in England.
“You’ve got two of the biggest boxing powerhouses in the UK going at it now, plenty of pride on the line there to get this fight,” Francis stated.
“Eddie has made it clear he desires to do it in Australia and put Justis [Huni] on the undercard.
“He’s got Stevie Spark at Matchroom too, Conor Wallace… we could put on a massive, high-quality card and I know Gold Coast wants to be the boxing capital of Australia.”
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