Jai Opetaia Would Overtake Gilberto Ramirez In A Unification
With a major cruiserweight unification possibly taking place in 2025, two-time IBF champion Jai Opetaia (26-0, 20KO) would dethrone unified champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (47-1, 30KO).
Zurdo is coming off an impressive win over one-time WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith. In the later rounds, his movement, combination punching, and solid defense were on point. Ramirez went on to win a comfortable unanimous decision. When asked if a fight with Opetaia is a fight that he wants next, he replied:
“Yeah, of course. I want to unify with all the champions that is the main goal for me.”
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
That sounds good, but it won’t be as easy as it says. Opetaia is on another level and can do the same things Zurdo can and more. In his first title shot against Mairis Briedis, the Aussie showed tremendous heart, finishing the fight with a broken jaw.
After the second victorious showdown with Briedis, Opetaia looked flawless and more impressive. Some pundits believed the other champion wouldn’t be in a rush to fight him. Although they share some similarities, the IBF champion moves like a cat playing with a ball of yarn.
In addition, he uses the angles to perfection before launching hard counter shots. Plus, Opetaia can pivot with Zurdo and is a much more accurate power puncher than Billam-Smith.
If the fight gets made, Opetaia’s speed, constant motion, and power would be too much for the unified champion. Zurdo will have some success in the early portion of the fight with the jab and nice body shots.
Yet, in this author’s opinion, Opetaia would shift gears and pour it on to close out the fight strong. In this author’s opinion, he defeats the Zurdo 116-112 or 117-111.
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