A major tournament will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 23. The main stars are Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. They will box against Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker respectively.

But behind all the title fights and star-studded matchups, the cruiserweight fight had somehow been lost. Undefeated Australian IBF champion Jay Opetaja will defend his belt against undefeated British rival Ellis Zorro. It’s a fight that’s guaranteed to be a huge spectacle no matter how it ends.

Opetaya and Zorro will definitely have a great fight. They don’t just box differently.

In fact, 28-year-old Jay Opetaya only made his name a year ago. Australian, New Zealand and other Oceanian boxers have always been a mystery. They box among themselves and organize interesting matches, but we can only talk seriously about these after a test by someone other than local boxers.

Opetaya literally underwent such a test. In the summer of 2022, he met Mairis Briedis. After Alexander Usik and Murat Gassiev moved up to heavyweight, Briedis became the leader of the cruiserweight division.

Nearby were the same Chris Bilem-Smith or Lawrence Okolie, but it was Mairis who was taken seriously by everyone as a tested boxer. This makes sense. Winning in the second season of the Super Series, a very bright performance in the first season and being one of the toughest rivals for Oleksandr Usik. This doesn’t just go away.

And then Jay happened to Mairis. Young Opetaya faced the champion at home and defeated him. Using his character, speed, youth and desire, Jay edged Briedis via unanimous decision. After the fight, it was learned that Opetaya was injured in his jaw during the fight and yet he not only continued until the end but also won.

A rematch was discussed but no agreement was reached. However, Opetaya met with Jordan Thompson. He flew to the British undefeated in the UK and put on a brilliant, albeit brief, display.

Thompson is still a great man. Jordan is almost two meters tall and has long arms. Making headway against such an opponent is already a success. He went into action, lost, and even had zero of the defeats on Thompson’s record.

Jay also flew, but his defense was still better than his opponent. And occasionally accurate strikes caused problems for the opponent. This man has it all with the power of a blow. He flew into the middle with an accurate shot and defeated his opponent epically from distance. And up close, when he pours quickly with his left hand and completes the combinations with an accurate shot.

Now the champion Ellis will face a duel against Zorro. A British boxer who has not yet lost, but has not met anyone on the level of Opetai or the same Briedis. But this is why Jay’s future opponent should definitely not be underestimated.

Zorro is a big cruiser. He was perfectly prepared physically and with the punch. It has long sleeves but does not refuse to work at medium and close distances. However, he prefers to catch his opponents making mistakes; He counter-attacks, goes the distance and strikes again.

The last two are among the truly interesting opponents and fights for which Zorro can be considered. The first is against Hosea Berton. A good and strong middle man who does not know how to do much, but is persistent, active and has many important names on his record.

Zorro defeated him ahead of schedule. He won by technical knockout in the seventh round of the ten-round fight.

The second is Italian Luca d’Ortenezi. A strong-minded and active boxer who tries hard to knock down. Ellis tried hard a few times but still couldn’t get an early victory. Won by unanimous decision in a ten-round fight.

However, what really matters here is the intersection of styles rather than past experiences. The situation is similar to what happened when Opetaia fought Thompson. Boxers are made for each other. A slightly larger Zorro versus Opetai, who is usually used to fighting larger opponents. Leftist versus rightist. And they both like to work in opposite directions. Jay creates these courses and Ellis knows how to use them.

Who is the favorite?

Champion by a large margin. You can bet on Opetai’s victory at 1.05. Imagine winning Ellis Zorro at 11:00.

But there is nothing to surprise. Let’s talk about objective factors. The opponent is slightly taller and has longer arms. At the same time, he not only gets worried when the battle takes place at medium distance, but often initiates it himself. The short sleeves definitely suit the champion.

Age – junior champion. 28 years versus 31. Not a big deal, yeah. Especially considering the number of tough encounters on both sides. However, Jay still could not overcome the turning point of the tough fights, while Zorro still could not make a turning point match. This must be it.

Experience. We are definitely on the champion’s side. Thompson is no worse than Zorro, but he is bigger. And the fight against Briedis. With all due respect to the opponents Zorro faces, this is already more important than Ellis’ entire record.

So is this a one-way fight? No way. And even so, it will be bright. This is because the styles clearly fit together. They both love the middle distance and everything that happens there. They both work hard there; He’s trading, he’s boxing in defence. Everything looks shiny and cool.

Another important point is that both boxers can punch. Frankly, Opetaja dishonored Thompson. Each blow of the Australians created many problems for the British. Zorro also hits very hard. This is hardly noticeable in the results, but if it comes, then it will be possible to end the war. Opetaya misses frequently. Another question is that it keeps it perfectly.

Opetaia vs Zorro is definitely not a fight you should miss on December 23rd. The Cruiserweight may have been half-dead for almost its entire existence, but this fight is certainly one that will appeal to the vast majority of fans.

1.05 – 11.0 place bet money Zrobiti bet