Mairis Briedis is back in the ranks, but again not as big a fight as we’d like. Surprisingly, one of the two top halfweight boxers can put up big fights, try to make a noise, and still not be loud enough to make a regular noise, as the level of boxing requires. The next fight and the opponent is no exception. Everything about this fight is good, but only if the Latvian loses will he gather enough viewers.

Briedis is Usyk’s toughest competitor. But I didn’t get any dividend from it

Mairis is 37 years old. He is a mature, mature boxer who will decline in the coming years, if not yet. So far, no signs of retirement have been noticed, but still, anything can happen, and old age comes to an athlete unexpectedly.

Briedis has one of the best resumes in the halfweight division and is the toughest contender for Usyk. In fact, Chisora, the same Joshua and Bellew, gave Alexander good fights. But the Latvian managed not only to hold on to an excellent pace for several laps, but also to make even the Ukrainian’s corner doubt a positive result. In this semi-final of the World Boxing Super Series, one of the judges did not determine the winner – it saw a 114-114 draw. The other two gave the win to Usyk: they closed 115-113 twice.

After that, Usyk moved up to the heavyweights after defeating Bellew before. Gassiev followed the Ukrainian and still did not show anything there. And there was only one major champion in the halfweight division – Briedis. The Latvian managed to win the second season of the World Boxing Super Series during this time, but it passed without enough noise.

All I remember from that tournament was a strange fight against Krzysztof Głowacki, where both boxers banged their elbows when the opponent fell after the command. It’s a complete mess. All the other victories are such that you don’t want to watch the fights either. Noel Mikaelian just came out of the box. I had to be very careful with Yunier Dorticos – because both fighters could fly. As a result, the punches’ confrontation ended in a boring decision of the judges.

After that, Briedis achieved more than him in the ring. The only fight since the World Super Series is against Arthur Mann. A quick knockout in the third round against a boxer who was forgotten the next day.

But there is a lot of talk around Briedis. The first is an affair with Lawrence Okoli. The best and most interesting option. Okoli is a strong man, the size of Joshua (Mayris is smaller than Usyk). He trains with Anthony with a punch and is an interesting boxer overall. The Latvian and his team have been talking for a long time about the transition to heavyweight – here’s an interesting test. In his own category, but against a close heavyweight counterpart.

Everything fell apart and remained conversations until now. The boxers even looked into each other’s eyes, but all in vain – the fight has not yet taken place and, if planned, not as soon as we would like.

Second, the fight against Canelo. This was when Saul thought he could still jump into categories and nothing would happen to him for that. But Alvarez is not stupid. I chose a small Ilunga Macaba that was still healthy compared to it. What can we say about the Great Briedis.

Third, a fight with Jake Paul. Same as Canelo, same luck. She even got a tattoo on her leg with the name of a Latvian, former or current blogger. Jake said they called him every day because they wanted money and he wasn’t interested in any nicknames. Like it or not, people go to Briedis much worse than Paul.

And in general. Wonderful boxer Mairis Briedis is waiting for a miracle – when someone with money will pay attention to her. By the way, already 37, and then 38 – terrible numbers for heavy guys.

Who is the opponent and who is the favourite?

You can’t say much about the opponent. Jai Opetai is 26 years old. The Australian has only boxed away from home twice – he will fight at home against Briedis. There is no one in the records to stand out. Average boxers, good athletes, but Briedis isn’t even close. At the same time, the 21-0, 17 KOs should not be overlooked. A strong boxer, just not tested.

Mairis is favorite but not dominant. You can bet on the Championship 1.40, on Opetai – 2.75. The Australian’s victory is possible because he is big enough, strong, young and motivated. Also because it’s unclear what form Briedis is in right now. I want to believe that this is enough – both physical and moral.

I want to believe because the fight against Okoli is super. Strong, tough opponents and the best fighters in the category. Why don’t you take a look at this? Another question – if Briedis has dealt with self-promotion, stories about the heavyweight, help from Joshua and the rematch with Usyk and hasn’t trained, then maybe it’s time to retire? All these questions will be answered by the war and the young Opetai.

The fight will take place on 2 July in Broadbeach (Australia). The estimated start time of the battle is 13:30 Kyiv time.