Since 2019, Jai Opetaia has held the WBA Oceania cruiserweight title. The Australian boxer also won the Light Heavyweight title in 2011 which made him the youngest ever Australian Olympic boxer at the age of 16.
The former amateur standout is apparently not the only athlete in his family seeing that he is related to Australian football player Tim Cahill and also rugby player Ben Roberts.
Jai (21-0, 17KOs) is set to challenge the reigning IBF and The Ring cruiserweight champion Mairis Briedis on July 2, 2022, on Australia’s Gold Coast.
Here are 10 Unknown Facts About Jai Opetaia
1. Jai Opetaia Hails from Wyong
Born June 30, 1995, the Australian professional boxer was raised in Wyong, New South Wales. He attended Gorokan High School. He later enrolled in the Central Coast Academy of Sport.
Although the exact number of his siblings is not certain, it is obvious he is from a large family.
2. The Boxer is Following in His Family’s Footsteps in Boxing
According to reports, Opetaia comes from a family of boxers. He is the fourth generation of boxers on his father’s side from Samoa while being the third on his mother’s side from Australia.
Aside from boxing, his cousin Tim Cahil is a professional footballer while another cousin, Ben Roberts plays in the Australian National Rugby League as well.
While he was growing up, his father Tapu Opetaia also trained to fight. His grandfather, Billy Opetaia was a middleweight in the 1960s and 1970s.
3. He Became a Heavyweight at the Age of 16
During his amateur career, Opetaia won the Light Heavyweight title at the 2011 Junior World Championships before he qualified for the 2012 Olympics as a Heavyweight at the age of 16, which made him the youngest ever Australian Olympic boxer.
That same year, he still won the junior World title in Kazakhstan in July. Jai also won the bronze medal at the AIBA World Youth Championships in the heavyweight division before he competed at the 2012 Olympics but did not pass the first round of the tournament.
As an amateur, he won four Golden Gloves, and eight New South Wales titles with an undefeated professional record.
4. He Started His Professional Career on a Good Note
Following a successful amateur career, Jai Opetaia was scheduled to fight for the vacant WBC-OPBF and Australian cruiserweight titles on July 15 2017 with Daniel Ammann. He won the fight by a ninth-round technical knockout.
He was later scheduled to again fight for the vacant IBF Youth cruiserweight title which he again won. After winning his first WBO Asia-Pacific cruiserweight title in June 2018, the boxer made his first title defense which he again won.
According to reports, he was scheduled to challenge the reigning IBF and The Ring cruiserweight champion, Mairis Briedis on April 6, 2022, but the fight was rescheduled after Briedis tested positive for Covid-19.
The title fight between the Latvian boxer and Opetaia(21-0, 17KOs) which was slated for May 11, 2022, has been reportedly rescheduled for July 2nd, 2022 on Australia’s Gold Coast.
The undefeated fighter would get a major world title if he should win the fight.
5. Is Jai Opetaia Married?
The WBA Oceania cruiserweight champion does not shy away from showing the love of his life to the world. Based on his photos on Instagram, he has been with his lover, Kanesha Murray for more than a decade now. He shared this while celebrating their 10th anniversary in October 2021. Prior to the anniversary photo, Opetaia shared their engagement photo on March 17, 2021.
At the moment, it seems the pair are already married although they are yet to reveal this. They do not have children yet but they have a dog called Murphy.
Read Also: Jūlija Briede Is Mairis Briedis’ Wife- 10 Unknown Facts About Her
6. The Boxer Enjoys Fishing
More than once, Jai has shared pictures of himself fishing. He reportedly enjoys doing so when he is not training.
7. How Tall is the 30-Year-Old Boxer
Physically, Jai Opetaia has the looks of a well-built athlete. He has a towering height of 6 feet 2 inches. His reach is said to be 76 inches (193 cm).
8. Jai Opetaia’s Father Doubles as His Trainer and Manager
According to reports, Tapu Opetaia happens to be his son’s biggest fan and supporter. Also, he has been his trainer almost all his life. Jai’s father has not only trained him but has also seen him grow from when he played his first international tournament.
9. The Australian Boxer is Highly Talented and Skillful
The undefeated boxer was reportedly a fast kid while growing up. He had a lot of talent that he fought with grown men only. Aside from his speed and pace, he has been described as an athlete with a great eye and wit.
10. What is His Net Worth?
Jai Opetaia is a rising star in the boxing world with so much success to his name. However, his salary and other contracts value are not known. Also, his exact net worth is still not available but other sources suggest his net worth should be around $1 million.
Discussion about this post