Jai Opetaia vs. Jack Massey | PPV - 12 October 2024

[gregregegg]

Jack massy is decent. But I am wondering what’s next for Jai.

-Bivol/betwrbieve winner? (Clearly worthy if they want a crack but Mabey too small)
-Unification? (Needs to happen)
-Usyk? (The previous consensus number 1 cruiser)
-DDD? (Ibf champ weight above)
-any req heavyweight contender for a move up (excusable)

I think they are the options of good fights for him. But suposidly he has a mandatory next, hopefully that’s December and dosent extend the wait for a good fight.

[SeanBrennan]

I hope Massey goes the distance, he can bang as well.

[golden_labrador]

https://talksport.com/boxing/2102213/ja ... avid-haye/

Opetaia aiming to move up to HW possibly via Bridgerweight. Could he follow Usyk/Haye etc?

[margaret thatcher]

i really rate jai but he looks closer in size to lhws than hws tbh. he's smaller framed than usyk and haye (both are taller, longer reached, and were more ripped at cw than he is), and not sure he's as good as them either.

with his talent he should be good enough to at least be a fringe contender at hw though

[joshj909]

The one thing I could see helping him is we don't know much about the climate for next generation of top heavies when Usyk, Fury, AJ, Zhang etc are gone. It looks like Parker, Dubois, Kabayel, Huni, Jalolov, Itauma, Bakole and a few others will be the top guys, some of which might be too big for Opetaia, but some of them probably aren't an unachievable size for him to get close to. He's a better boxer than most of them for sure but some of them, such as Jalolov and Huni for example, could end up being very very good. I don't think he is anywhere near as good as Usyk or Holyfield and won't achieve what they did but he could definitely have a chance of achieving more than Haye at Heavyweight if none of those guys mentioned are anywhere close to Klitschko 's level.

[JamesPhilips]

The one thing I could see helping him is we don't know much about the climate for next generation of top heavies when Usyk, Fury, AJ, Zhang etc are gone. It looks like Parker, Dubois, Kabayel, Huni, Jalolov, Itauma, Bakole and a few others will be the top guys, some of which might be too big for Opetaia, but some of them probably aren't an unachievable size for him to get close to. He's a better boxer than most of them for sure but some of them, such as Jalolov and Huni for example, could end up being very very good. I don't think he is anywhere near as good as Usyk or Holyfield and won't achieve what they did but he could definitely have a chance of achieving more than Haye at Heavyweight if none of those guys mentioned are anywhere close to Klitschko 's level.

Huni’s chin and lack of power will prevent him going too far. I think you should add Teremoana Jr. I think there’s a video of him koing Huni in sparring. I may be wrong. But Teremoana is one to watch

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

From scaffolding site to world title tilt in two years

Cruiserweight Jack Massey was at the top of a scaffolding site when he took the phone call that changed the trajectory of his life.

He had the offer to fight former world champion Joseph Parker and, despite having never fought at heavyweight, he took the opportunity with both hands.

Parker won the competitive 10-rounder but Massey, whose only other defeat came against fellow Briton Richard Riakporhe, gave a strong account of himself.

The result fired Massey back into contention at his natural weight of cruiserweight, and on 12 October the Chapel-en-le-Frith fighter will be in Saudi Arabia to tackle Australian Jai Opetaia for the IBF cruiserweight world title.

However, the picture was very different in 2022 for Massey. He was going through contract issues with a promoter and, with no fights being made, Massey ended up on a scaffolding site.

"I had to come out of the gym and get working because I've got a family to pay for," he said.

"My brother helped me out with his boss, got me a job on the scaffolding site and that just kept me ticking over, but it gave me that push, as in 'I don't want to be back doing this. I want to get back to boxing, really push on and make something of it'."

In the same year Massey and his partner suffered two miscarriages and the fighter admits he nearly quit the sport altogether.

"I was very close, to be honest. It was probably one of the toughest years of mine and my partner's lives," he said.

"It was a rough one, but we just had to be there for each other and stay positive, and this year alone has shown that you never know what's around the corner."

Massey took the Parker opportunity when it emerged and then upset the odds earlier this year when he beat fellow Englishman Isaac Chamberlain by unanimous decision to pick up the Commonwealth and European cruiserweight titles.

'I've had to borrow boots, shorts, kits before fights'

Massey has had a whirlwind 2024.

In January he brutally stopped Steve Ntere in the first round before stepping in to beat Chamberlain.

Before the turn of the year his daughter Bonnie was born and Massey got married.

The 31-year-old will once again be the unfancied fighter when he takes on Opetaia, who is 25-0.

This world title shot was unexpected and there were initial doubts over whether the IBF would sanction the contest, considering Massey was not even in the top 10 of the federation's rankings. But the IBF decided to grant an exception.

Massey relishes being the underdog.

"I quite like it. I've always been that underdog guy, from my amateur days. I've had to borrow boots, shorts and fight kit," he said.

"I know I've got a very tough night ahead of me, he's the top guy in the cruiserweight division, but I believe I can get in there, beat him, give it my all and leave everything in there."

Massey said it did not sink in just how far he had come until he was at the launch news conference, with undefeated world champion Dmitry Bivol sitting over his left shoulder.

"It is huge," he said about the magnitude of the event he is part of.

The fight will be the biggest pay day of Massey's career to date, but his focus remains on the IBF belt.

"We are looking to secure this world title and that is when it becomes really, really life-changing," Massey said.

"That is what I have dreamed of since being a little boy, since starting at the age of 11."

The fight will take place on the undercard of the undisputed light-heavyweight world title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Bivol.

On a fight programme which features the rematch between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke, British featherweight Raven Chapman also has a world title shot as she takes on Australian Skye Nicolson.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Week!!

[funso banjo baby]

Should be a decent ko

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Night!!

[SeanBrennan]

Fight Night!!

who you got Ruthless? Easy win for Jai?

I hope Massey gives a really good account of himself but can't see anyone beating Jai at CW.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Night!!

who you got Ruthless? Easy win for Jai?

I hope Massey gives a really good account of himself but can't see anyone beating Jai at CW.

Could go few rounds. I see Jai stopping him.

[SeanBrennan]

Fight Night!!

who you got Ruthless? Easy win for Jai?

I hope Massey gives a really good account of himself but can't see anyone beating Jai at CW.

Could go few rounds. I see Jai stopping him.

cheers and very likely!

[wrighty]

That was a hard watch. Jack is a hard man but didn't have answers for the explosiveness. I hope he comes back and gets a shot at the British belt. There are fights domestically. He could even fornicate about with Bridgerweight or fight Yves Ngabu

[forcefraser]

That was a hard watch. Jack is a hard man but didn't have answers for the explosiveness. I hope he comes back and gets a shot at the British belt. There are fights domestically. He could even fornicate about with Bridgerweight or fight Yves Ngabu

Tough night for Jack. Opetia just took him apart and it was the right decision to throw in the towel. The only thing left for him was an even worse shellacking.

Beterbiev v Opetia at a cathweight? 194lbs?

[wrighty]

They need a weight between cruiser and light heavy I think. I'm my eyes, opetaia will be too big, young and explosive for Artur. Where does Massey go?

[Coco]

They need a weight between cruiser and light heavy I think. I'm my eyes, opetaia will be too big, young and explosive for Artur. Where does Massey go?

Defend his Euro title

[margaret thatcher]

dont you have to give up the euro to challenge for the world title, or was that an old rule

[Coco]

dont you have to give up the euro to challenge for the world title, or was that an old rule

Tbh I'm not sure, but there is still plenty of well paid work for him outside of world titles.
Could be more work available too as an opponent in the heavies

[Ruthless-RKO]

dont you have to give up the euro to challenge for the world title, or was that an old rule

I don't think you HAVE to.

Unless it's an official rule.

Most do give it up though..

Cus it's not like the Euro belt would be at stake, or if it's the case where you fight a fellow European boxer, they might want a sanction fee?

[wrighty]

dont you have to give up the euro to challenge for the world title, or was that an old rule

I don't think you HAVE to.

Unless it's an official rule.

Most do give it up though..

Cus it's not like the Euro belt would be at stake, or if it's the case where you fight a fellow European boxer, they might want a sanction fee?

I think you do. Cieslek is fighting for the vacant title. He can fight Ellis Zoro and what not

[Frostieballs]

dont you have to give up the euro to challenge for the world title, or was that an old rule

I don't think you HAVE to.

Unless it's an official rule.

Most do give it up though..

Cus it's not like the Euro belt would be at stake, or if it's the case where you fight a fellow European boxer, they might want a sanction fee?

I think you do. Cieslek is fighting for the vacant title. He can fight Ellis Zoro and what not

I think you have to give it up if you win…

[wrighty]

I don't think you HAVE to.

Unless it's an official rule.

Most do give it up though..

Cus it's not like the Euro belt would be at stake, or if it's the case where you fight a fellow European boxer, they might want a sanction fee?

I think you do. Cieslek is fighting for the vacant title. He can fight Ellis Zoro and what not

I think you have to give it up if you win…

This is true. I think if you fight for a world title you give it up win or lose. I know there was a rule that you couldn't fight for the EBU coming off a loss. They were always quite good. The WBA had a version of the European title called the EBA and the fights they put on and there rules were very questionable