Badou Jack vs Jai Opetaia Unification is Needed
Newly crowned WBC cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (29-3-3, 17KO) could be headed for unification with IBF champion Jai Opetaia (27-0, 21KO) next.
The Ripper regained the title after being placed as champion In recess against Norir Mikaeljan on May 3. Jack fought like the crafty veteran and landed sneaky right hands when both fighters were in close. In addition, he managed to land the more significant shots despite being outworked.
Mikaeljan looked sharp early in the fight with double and triple jabs. He even put the Swedish man on the back foot with hard body shots. In the end, one judge scored it 114-114, with the other two having it 115-113, giving Jack the majority decision win.
When looking at what’s next, unification is the only option worth discussing. Jack could target Opetaia, who has a fight coming up on June 8. The IBF champion is viewed by many as the best fighter in the division and he would jump at a unification in a heartbeat.
It will be interesting to see how the young, hard-hitting Aussie deals with the inside ground-and-pound style of Jack.
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