BoxRec

Round-by-Round starts here




Press Release

Jai Opetaia will make the first defence of his IBF and Ring Magazine Cruiserweight World Titles against Jordan Thompson on a huge night of World Championship boxing at the OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday September 30 that also sees IBF Super-Bantamweight ruler Ellie Scotney make the maiden defence of her World Title against Laura Soledad Griffa, live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Australia and New Zealand).

Opetaia (22-0 17 KOs) wrestled the IBF and Ring Magazine World Cruiserweight Titles away from Mairis Briedis on home turf with an outstanding display in Queensland, Australia in July 2022, outboxing the Latvian with a show of skill mixed with guts after breaking his jaw in both the second and final rounds.

The 28-year-old extended his unbeaten slate to 22 fights in the paid ranks on that famous night, landing World Title honours at the first attempt in a professional career that began in August 2015 after the imposing southpaw said goodbye to a glittering amateur stint that yielded gold in the World Junior Championships in 2011 and saw him become the youngest ever Australian Olympian fighter when he represented his country in at the 2012 Games in London.

He returns to London next month, putting his red and gold hardware on the line against Manchester’s undefeated contender Thompson (15-0, 12 KOs), who heads into his first shot at world honours on the back of a dominating sixth-round TKO win over Swindon’s Luke Watkins at the Cardiff International Arena back in Cardiff.

The 6′ 7″ powerhouse, who is trained by Tony Sims at the Matchroom Boxing Elite Gym in Essex, has won all five of his fights under the Matchroom Boxing banner since putting pen to paper on a multi-fight promotional deal with Eddie Hearn in June 2021, picking up the IBF European Title but outpointing Vasil Ducar at the Sheffield Arena in August 2022.

Catford’s 122lbs queen Scotney (7-0) returns to the arena where she was crowned IBF World Champion in June, comfortably outpointing Australia’s former champion Cherneka Johnson on the undercard of Sunny Edwards’ shutout points win over Andres Campos.

Argentina’s Griffa (20-8, 1 KO) gets her second shot at the IBF Super-Bantamweight after falling short in her challenge against Marcela Eliana Acuna in August 2018. ‘La Joya’, who fights out of Pehuajo in Buenos Aires, has also challenged for the IBO Super-Bantamweight and Featherweight Titles and has won both of her fights in 2023.

Dangerous Gravesend Cruiserweight Cheavon Clarke (6-0, 5 KOs) gets his first title shot – taking on former Chris Billam-Smith and Jordan Thompson opponent Vasil Ducar (14-6-2, 10 KOs) for the vacant IBF International Title and Warrington’s Rhiannon Dixon (8-0, 1 KO) meets Norway’s World Title challenger Katherina Thanderz (16-1, 2 KOs) for the vacant EBU European Lightweight crown.

Billericay Middleweight George Liddard (4-0, 3 KOs) and Eltham Flyweight Maiseyrose Courtney (4-0) have a quick turnaround after picking up wins on the Joshua vs. Helenius undercard at The O2 in London earlier this month, Watford Super-Flyweight Shannon Ryan (5-0) fights for the sixth time as a pro and Tony Sims-trained Middleweight Jimmy Sains makes his professional debut.

That card is poor.

Manchester Hitman wrote: ↑24 Aug 2023, 08:46 That card is poor.

I think any show with 4 women’s fights is going to be a slog although I like the Chev Clarke fight and the main is quite interesting. It’s rare nowadays to have a world champ come and fight a Brit in the U.K.

not enough women's boxing

Ridiculous having that amount of female fights. Who is going to that show knowing they'll have to sit through those female fights going the distance with little to no drama.

Just insane to put jai on a UK show this poor… at least USA shows are Sunday arvo in Aus, 4-8am Sunday morning….

Should be making his first defence in Australia vs a name. Or a unification.

Thompson in jails backyard would be decent enough, but would sell tickets and stuff. This is poor.

gregregegg wrote: ↑24 Aug 2023, 23:56 Just insane to put jai on a UK show this poor… at least USA shows are Sunday arvo in Aus, 4-8am Sunday morning….

Should be making his first defence in Australia vs a name. Or a unification.

Thompson in jails backyard would be decent enough, but would sell tickets and stuff. This is poor.

If any of those purse bids had actually taken place, Matchroom/Tasman, on behalf of Opetaia, would have outbid Boxxer and whoever represents Briedis, and Opetaia would have had a home fight. But after 3 strikes in a row, it appears Matchroom have just thrown their hands in the air and shoved the fight on this September 30th card.

Desperate stuff from Eddie, picking up an Aussie belt holder holder on the cheap and putting him on in another country against someone nobody’s heard of , and packing it with all these women’s fights that probably cost him a couple grand all in. It’s like a car boot sale

MightyWarrior wrote: ↑25 Aug 2023, 02:34 Desperate stuff from Eddie, picking up an Aussie belt holder holder on the cheap and putting him on in another country against someone nobody’s heard of , and packing it with all these women’s fights that probably cost him a couple grand all in. It’s like a car boot sale

He’ll say he’s putting on 2 world title fights.

That’s the thing, the brass necked chancer is making the most of all these suited idiots sitting around, nodding their head in approval at all his “progressive” women’s boxing matches, like he’s in it for the good of mankind - whereas the real reason he’s doing it is because it’s costing him peanuts and he can turnaround and say, there you go “world titles” as promised, AND progressive as well guys! .

I'd rather have all the womens fights clumped togehter on a few shows (like this card, I don't mean have womens only shows) and then have a fair few men only cards without the lull that you get from all but a few womens boxers. When Taylor, Cameron and a few other female boxers came onto the card it was actually quite entertaining but now there's so many where it's a one sided UD.

This show will be a hard sell , will do well to get 2 k in Wembley Arena for this , bet they couldn't get York Hall due to Boxxer going the same night .

CBS will probably be there that night bit quiet on his next fight, i still dont think Booxer want Okile next maybe they cant afford it either.

Hello of a fight for him to get, enjoyed watching him vs Watkins although I cannot think of many occasions with a higher step up since Jennings fighting Cotto after previously fighting Rushton.

Hope he does it. Tall ask though. Although he is (tall - 6'6).

I always find it weird when you put a card on somewhere that you will never sell out.

Praying to do 5000 at a 12,500 seat arena is just weird.

at least pull the johny fisher trigger....

This is what Goresbrook Leisure Centre was built for

gregregegg wrote: ↑24 Aug 2023, 23:56 Just insane to put jai on a UK show this poor… at least USA shows are Sunday arvo in Aus, 4-8am Sunday morning….

Should be making his first defence in Australia vs a name. Or a unification.

Thompson in jails backyard would be decent enough, but would sell tickets and stuff. This is poor.

UNLESS he's getting absolute life changing , buy a beach side mansion and retire in Sydney Harbor money .. He's absolutly insane and borderline stupid , to go defend in England , He's gonna get disqualified if he knocks the pom out , and cheated if he wins over the distance , , Should'nt be leaving Brisbane , Sydney or Melbourne , promoted correctly theres money to be made in Aust , just ask , Kosta , Fenech , or even Tim Tzyu

coneye wrote: ↑10 Sep 2023, 04:33

gregregegg wrote: ↑24 Aug 2023, 23:56 Just insane to put jai on a UK show this poor… at least USA shows are Sunday arvo in Aus, 4-8am Sunday morning….

Should be making his first defence in Australia vs a name. Or a unification.

Thompson in jails backyard would be decent enough, but would sell tickets and stuff. This is poor.

UNLESS he's getting absolute life changing , buy a beach side mansion and retire in Sydney Harbor money .. He's absolutly insane and borderline stupid , to go defend in England , He's gonna get disqualified if he knocks the pom out , and cheated if he wins over the distance , , Should'nt be leaving Brisbane , Sydney or Melbourne , promoted correctly theres money to be made in Aust , just ask , Kosta , Fenech , or even Tim Tzyu

And matcheoom have huni fighting in Mexico..:

Those 2 could have made an epic double header Aus card.

I reckon Opotaia is making good money for this fight as opposed to a reasonable purse on say the Orlando bill.

You wonder tho. With Opitaia, Huni, the guy who lost to Hrgovic and Ebanie Bridges how long it is until we see an Aussie bill with those guys all on it.

jameswilson wrote: ↑10 Sep 2023, 08:21 I reckon Opotaia is making good money for this fight as opposed to a reasonable purse on say the Orlando bill.

You wonder tho. With Opitaia, Huni, the guy who lost to Hrgovic and Ebanie Bridges how long it is until we see an Aussie bill with those guys all on it.

I’m sure the world is holding its breath…..

Matchroom aus could make 2 pretty big australia cards pretty easily.

-Jai in a world title defence. Sky nicolas in a "world title fight". Liam parro in a good fight, 2 ex nrl players whacking each other, and some undercard fights (preferably low levle heavyweights of pacific islander heritage...).

-Huni vs mckean, Bridges in a "world title fight", Stevie spark, Brock jarvis, 2 ex NRL players, and some big islanders punching on....

They could always combo it into a mega card too.... delicious.

But for allllllll the talk, the enthusiasim to go to aus dosent seem to exist.

Aussies WILL PAY to watch there sport the money is here , if promoted right ,, look at young Tim Tzyu , surely he would be a millionaire now , and the thing is , up until recently the verdict was he's not even that good most did'nt think he'd proved himself , Aussie even pay PPV to watch his brother who's a novice headline the show .

Why Jai is going overseas is beyond me defend in OZ , you will not see too many englishmen going to France to defend

Other than through the boxers, this event will barely sell a ticket.