Tyson Fury’s freak training injury could mean blockbuster world title rematch between Aussie Jai Opetaia and Mairis Briedis could be fought in Australia
- The IBF title fight was scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia
- Would be part of the Fury v Usyk card
- A Fury injury could bring the game down again
The ripple effect of Tyson Fury’s sparring mishap has left Jai Opetaia’s camp struggling to secure his long-awaited world title rematch against Mairis Briedis, possibly back on Australian soil.
Fury’s historic February 17 undisputed heavyweight championship match with Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk was postponed after the British star suffered a cut during sparring.
The pair would fight in Saudi Arabia to unify Fury’s WBC heavyweight championship with Usyk’s WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titles, becoming the first unified heavyweight boxing champions since 1999.
Opetaia and Briedis’ battle for the vacant IBF title – almost two years after the Australian broke his jaw twice in an incredible defeat to the Latvian – was set to be the co-main event.
Opetaia was set to fight for the vacant IBF title on the undercard of the epic showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia
Fury suffered this bizarre cut during a sparring accident that has affected the entire card, including the Opetaia fight
IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic is reportedly in the mix to replace Fury and salvage the main event, an option that appears to come with high expectations as there are only three weeks to go until the fight.
Adding to the logistical nightmare is the fact that Saudi Arabia will not host boxing events during Ramadan, which starts on March 10 and continues until April 8.
Gatton-based New Zealand Olympic bronze medalist David Nyika, another cruiserweight with world title ambitions, was also expected to fight on the Fury-Usyk card.
“We heard it at 3.30am last night,” Opetaia’s manager Mick Francis told AAP on Saturday.
‘The first reaction was shock. Tyson has had such a good camp, the week we were there (last month) he looked good, the best I’ve ever seen him.
“That’s boxing though, the ripple effect of one second in the ring… I spoke to Jai and he said it’s a setback, one of those things, but he’s willing to fight wherever and whenever he’s asked.”
Gold Coast’s Opetaia reportedly earned $680,000 for a brutal first-round knockout of Ellis Zorro in Riyadh late last year and the Fury slot was said to be the final fight of a lucrative Saudi deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
Opetaia was declared the new IBF cruiserweight champion of the world after an epic unanimous victory over Briedis in their first title fight
Opetaia was later stripped of his IBF belt for choosing to fight Ellis Zoro in Saudi Arabia
Opetaia was stripped of his IBF belt when the body refused to sanction the Zorro fight and insisted Briedis would be his next opponent despite the Latvian being injured.
The undefeated 28-year-old now has the chance to win it back, part of the plan to unify the division before he makes the move to heavyweight.
Francis marked a move from February 17 to the Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou card in Riyadh on March 8, while also pitching for the fight to return to Australia after the pair’s war on the Gold Coast.
Opetaia’s Tasman Fighters stablemate Justis Huni is already fighting on the March 8 card.
“If that (March 8) works for them, great,” Francis said.
‘We have an agreement with Matchroom and Jai is still passionate about fighting on court on a Fury card; the biggest name in boxing.
‘But that Fury fight may not be for months and time is running out.
“There is so much interest in this rematch and with the right government support we could bring the fight back to Australia.”