Famous boxing promoter Eddie Hearn says Australia’s best fighter Jai Opetaia is the ONLY man who can dethrone Oleksandr Usyk – but there’s a catch

Eddie Hearn believes Jai Opetaia is the only boxer in the world who can challenge heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.

But the famed British boxing promoter says four things need to happen for the cruiserweight before he can secure one of the biggest fights in Australian boxing history.

Defeat courageous challenger David Nyika in his Gold Coast IBF and Ring world title defense on Wednesday.

Unite the divisions.

Move up to the heavyweight division and then convince the sport’s new billionaire matchmaker that it’s a match worth having.

“He’s probably the only guy who I think can really compete with Usyk,” Hearn said on the Gold Coast ahead of Opetaia’s long-awaited homecoming (26-0).

Promoter Eddie Hearn believes Opetaia is the only fighter in the world challenging for the world heavyweight title

“But he has to prove his credentials to the entire division.”

Usyk (23-0) was the undisputed cruiserweight king before moving up and repeating the dose at heavyweight, beating Tyson Fury twice in Saudi Arabian blockbusters last year.

Arguably Usky’s toughest test came at cruiserweight against Mairis Briedis, who famously defeated Opetaia despite breaking his jaw twice in his last Australian start two years ago, and then again in May last year.

Saudi billionaire Turki Alalshikh, a royal advisor and chairman of the country’s entertainment authority, is the boxing fan who created Fury-Usyk and the countless other major Riyadh cards.

Both Nyika and Opetaia have fought in the kingdom, and Opetaia’s last three victories have left a mark on the people who matter.

“Look what Usyk did… at this stage he wants the money fights, so if we can convince the likes of His Excellency that Opetaia against Usyk is a classic then maybe it will happen,” Hearn said.

“He needs to win (against Nyika) then hopefully he can unify the division.”

New Zealander Nyika (10-0) is a 2021 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time Commonwealth Games champion who has known Opetaia since they were young amateurs.

Oleksandr Usyk defeated old rival Tyson Fury in Riyadh last month and many experts labeled himself as the best fighter in the world

The pair locked foreheads on Tuesday in a heated confrontation that lasted almost a minute. Nyika was convinced that he could surprise the big favorite.

“You want to see that,” Hearn said of the theater performances.

‘I like that kind of stuff and he looked real.

“Manifestation is something you can talk yourself into, but when you take that walk to the ring, you quickly find out if it’s real or not.”

Nyika could make a huge dent in Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn’s plans for Opetaia.

But a 27th straight victory should pave the way for a long-awaited unification with Mexican Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, who holds both the WBA and WBO titles.

That fight would only leave the WBC title, currently held by Swede Badou Jack, and get new eyes in America at Opetaia, whose cruiserweight division is dominated by Europeans.

“Especially for Jai, I have to fight Zurdo, pick up all the belts and then take on Usyk,” Hearn said of what awaits the winner.

Hearn said another Australian, new Matchroom Boxing signature George Kambosos Jnr, will fight on home soil in March, the second of at least four Australian fights this year that he will promote.

The 10-fight Opetaia-Nyika card will air on DAZN, the global sports streaming network that will soon own Foxtel after inking a deal worth $3.4 billion.

‘There is a lot of upside here; the numbers are good and it will be interesting to see what that purchase brings to boxing,” Hearn said.