SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The light-heavyweight division is a bit like the unloved division. Let’s say that among big men, fans only have eyes for heavyweights like Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Deontay Wilder and the rest.
Still, if a boxer can fight ten of the twelve rounds of a championship match with not one cheek, but two fractured cheeks against the best light heavyweight in the world, he’s got guts.
It’s hard to assess the talent of the new IBF champion Jai Opetaia, (22-0, 17 KOs), an Australian boxer who is only 27 years old.
How to know the true nature of this native boxer on the other side of the world, in Sydney, Australia who has only delivered two fights outside his country, in the Samoa Islands and in Mexico.
What we know is that he fought 114 amateur fights and he won 102 of them. He was Australian amateur champion in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
He was only sixteen when he qualified for the London Olympics in 2012.
That year he competed in the Olympics, narrowly losing 12-11 to Teymur Mammadov of Azerbaijan, the bronze medalist, when he was just 17 years old.
Now that he has defeated Mairis Breidis, one of the best, if not the best in the category despite his 37 years, what will he do with his IBF belt? Will he continue to fight at home in Australia. Will he come to the United States? Will he make a foray into Great Britain where two of the best undefeated boxers at 200 pounds await him?
Unfortunately, they are little known on American soil, but they are true warriors. The first is Lawrence Okolie (18-0, 14 KOs).
On his list of hunts, we find a victory by K.-O. in the 6th round on Kryztof Glovacki and he forever sullied the clean sheets of Dillan Prasovic (15-0), Nikodem Jezewski (19-0-1) and Y Ngabu (20-0).
The other Briton who spoke highly of is Richard Riakporhe (15-0, 11 K.-O.).
If we want to go further in the list of possible opponents, we must take a look at the Congolese Ilunga Junior Makabu (29-2, 25 K.-O.).
The most well-known light heavyweight in America today is Sergey Kovalev, a former light heavyweight champion who made his foray into the big man world on May 14 by beating Tervel Pulev by decision. But let’s say Kovalev has had his day.
WBC champion Ilunga “Junior” Makabu (29-2, 25 KOs) is also a possibility now that his name has been erased from the list of rivals Saul “Canelo” Alvarez could face.
There is also the Cuban who now resides in Miami, Yuniel Dorticos (25-2, 23 KOs), followed by Badou Jack (26-3-3, 16 KOs). There is Canadian Ryan Rozicki (15-1, 14 KOs) who is among the contenders. It will be remembered that he had been defeated by decision by Oscar Rivas, at the Olympia theater, in Montreal, on October 22, 2021.
Remember the name Opetia. The whole world of boxing is open to him and I remain convinced that we will hear from him very soon.
Who will be the winner of the lotto? Who will he face? Only time will tell.
Vite July 9 Bivol c. Buatsi
Promoter Eddie Hearn is currently trying to set up a title fight between WBA king Dmitrii Bivol and contender Joshua Buatsi (16-0, 13 KOs).
This means that it is unlikely that we will soon see Bivol face Artur Beterbiev, especially since his promoter Bob Arum, from Top Rank, is working to measure him against the Briton Anthony Yarde next September, in England.
Already 14th aspirant
After a 43-month absence, the big Jarrell Miller (24-0-1, 20 K.-O.) returned to the ring and defeated the Argentinian Ariel Estevan Bracamonte (11-8, 6 K.-O. ) by unanimous decision (97-92 x 3). Thanks to this triumph, he now finds himself 14th among the best contenders in the IBF.
Miller is due back in the ring on July 23, but the name of his opponent is unknown at this time.
The Canadian Prince
Great Britain had its Prince Naseem Hamed and Canada can now boast of having its Prince too. This is Prince Bahdi, real name Lucas Bahdi (12-0, 11 KOs) of Niagara Falls.
After 11 straight wins by knockout, he had to settle for a triumph by decision over lightweight Diego Fabien Eligio (22-8-1, 9 knockouts).
From silver to gold
News from last week revealed that the investigation into the decisions made during the Rio 2016 Olympics boxing fights was still ongoing and that there was a good chance that Joe Joyce could exchange his silver medal against the golden one. We will remember that in the final, he lost the split decision at the expense of Tony Yoka: 30-27, 29-28 and 28-29.
Personally, I always believed that Joyce won this fight. You can see it on Youtube and judge for yourself.
Ah those old heavyweights
We will know on Saturday which of Kubrat Pulev or Derek Chisora is at the end of the line. Pulev is 41 and Chisora 38. The worst thing is that Chisora has lost his last three fights, two of them against Joseph Parker and the other against Usyk.
Chisora has 292 boxing rounds in his body not counting his amateur career and he was knocked out. three times.
Pulev will win this match played at the O2 Arena, Greenwich, England by decision.
One thing is certain… and it is he himself who shouts it loud and clear, he has no intention of retiring if ever he were to lose a fourth fight in a row.
Second career
Marie-Ève Dicaire has not fought since her seventh-round technical knockout victory over Cynthia Lozano on December 17, recording her first knockout. career that won her the IBF super welterweight title.
Currently, she is very comfortable on the radio of WHAT IS IT with Patrick Marsolais and Alphé Gagné on the show “Le fun est dans le retour” between 3 and 6 p.m.
Marie-Ève is 35 years old, she will be 36 on July 29th. She has all the assets for a career in the media world.
I can’t wait to see her back in the ring, but I wonder what she will do in the next few months…
Two other women
The names of Mikaela Mayer (17-0, 5 KOs) and Alycia Baumgardner (12-1, 7 KOs) have been added and they will be the victims of the semi-final, during the clash between Claressa Shields and Savanah Marshall, on September 10 in London.
The three titles at 130 pounds will be at stake. Mayer is the WBO and IBF champion, while Baumgardner is the WBC queen.
In the Hall of Fame
Former world heavyweight champion Michael Spinks, who gave up his WBC, WBA and IBF titles by first-round knockout to Mike Tyson on June 27, 1988, will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame on June 24, 1988. next July.
We will not remember that Spinks had won the gold medal at middleweight at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. As for his brother Leon, he had also won gold at 178 pounds in Montreal.
Loma back
Vasyiliy Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) contacted Top Rank executives to tell them he was now available to return to competition next September.
It remains to be seen in what weight he intends to return to the ring: 126 pounds, 130 or even 140.
“Loma” has not boxed since December 11, 2021, to join his country’s armed forces in Ukraine. He then won the decision over Richard Commey.
On ESPN+
The championship match between Claressa Shields and Savanah Marshall on September 10 in London will be televised in America on ESPN+.
The insults, especially those of the American Shields, are heard from one end of the planet to the other. According to Shields, the game against Marshall is taking place in England, as she cannot sell tickets at home.
Story to follow.
Happy boxing!
