Jai Opetaia faced Mairis Briedis in a highly anticipated rematch on 18 May 2024, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This fight was critical for both boxers, with Opetaia aiming to solidify his dominance in the cruiserweight division and Briedis seeking redemption after their first encounter.
Their first fight took place on 2 July 2022, where Opetaia claimed the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles by unanimous decision, despite suffering a severe jaw injury during the bout.
In their second meeting, Opetaia displayed remarkable composure and tactical brilliance. The fight began with both fighters testing each other out, but it quickly became apparent that Opetaia’s southpaw stance and quick footwork were troubling Briedis. Opetaia used his left hand effectively, landing several straight lefts and uppercuts that kept Briedis on the defensive.
By the sixth round, Opetaia had broken Briedis’s nose with a tight left shot. Despite mounting a strong offensive in the later rounds, Briedis couldn’t shift the momentum in his favour. In the tenth round, Opetaia himself suffered a broken nose from an unintentional headbutt by Briedis. Sensing an opportunity, Briedis increased the pressure, but it was too late to alter the course of the fight.
He headbutted my nose,” Opetaia said.
“It’s a bit broken, but I’ll get this fixed, fight the next fighter, and we’ll be back soon.”
Opetaia secured the victory by unanimous decision, with scores of 117-111 and 116-112 on two scorecards. This win not only defended and regained his stripped IBF cruiserweight title but also improved his record to 25-0 (19 KOs).
Opetaia was stripped of the IBF title after taking a fight they advised against. He chose to fight Ellis Zorro on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Saudi Arabia on 23 December 2023, and knocked out Zorro, leading to the IBF’s decision to strip his title.
“Mairis Briedis, I’m honoured to share the ring with a champion like that,” Opetaia said.
“I watched this guy coming through the cruiserweight rankings, I used to idolise this guy.
“To be here and share the ring with him, he’s a true warrior and I’ve got nothing but respect. Thank you, Mairis.
“He got me with a few good shots, he’s a tough dude, he keeps coming forward, he wanted it.
“I could hear the pain in his punches, I take my hat off to him.”
Now, Opetaia’s focus shifts to unifying the cruiserweight division.