Aussie boxing champ Jai Opetaia breaks silence over 'unfair' stripped title, says unification dream still alive

Aussie boxing superstar Jai Opetaia has finally opened up on being stripped of his IBF world title, and vowed to continue chasing unification despite being blacklisted by at least one of the sport's global bodies.

The 30-year-old Gold Coast cruiserweight took the IBF strap from Mairis Briedis with a stunning victory in front of a home crowd on Queensland's glitter strip in July 2022, famously fighting through a shattered jaw to defeat the Latvian monster.

Opetaia, who boasts an undefeated 30-fight record, successfully defended the strap six times and also added The Ring's cruiserweight title to his collection along the way.

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But the IBF sensationally took the belt off him last month after the Aussie defied their wishes to make his debut for the controversial Zuffa Boxing league, which is headed up by UFC boss Dana White.

By fighting, and beating, Brandon Glanton in Las Vegas, Opetaia was forced to surrender his IBF world title. The belt now sits vacant.

The Queenslander remained silent for a month since the IBF's decision but has now spoken about it on the UNSPOKEN podcast with former NRL player Josh Mansour.

Opetaia says he still plans to hold all the world cruiserweight titles - The Ring, IBF, WBO, and WBC, as well as the Zuffa championship.

"I'm chasing unification, I want those belts. I really want the WBO," he said.

"I want the WBO. I want to become undisputed, I want the rest of the belts. I think Chris Billam-Smith is sitting at No.1 in the IBF now and I'm sitting at three, so why not fight for a vacant belt?

"They just stripped me... but it is what it is.

"Honestly bro, I don't have all the answers. I've been trying to figure it out.

"This is the second time (they've stripped me), the first time I knew why... you could understand why, because they've got a rule book. But honestly I've got no clue why they've stripped me this second time.

"I don't want to talk too much, but I don't think it's fair. I f---ing went to the trenches to get that belt, and they stripped me just because, I don't know, just because I was associated with Zuffa.

"But it is what it is, we look forward now."

The IBF previously took the belt off Opetaia when he was supposed to fight Briedis in Riyadh, only for the latter to pull out and then the Aussie fought Ellis Zorro against the IBF's wishes. Opetaia then fought Briedis again in May 2024, winning the rematch and being reinstated as the IBF champion.

He defended it with wins against Jack Massey, David Nyika, Claudio Squeo, and Huseyin Cinkara, before his polarising switch to Zuffa which ultimately got him stripped a second time.

Australia has not had a male undisputed world champion since Kostya Tszyu held all the belts more than two decades ago. Cherneka Johnson, also a Gold Coast local, became the undisputed women's bantamweight champion last year and still holds all the belts.

While Opetaia may be the best male cruiserweight fighter in the world currently, it is Gilberto Ramirez who holds the WBA and WBO straps. Noel Mikaelian holds the WBC, while Opetaia holds The Ring, and the IBF is vacant.

Ramirez is poised to fight David Benavidez for his two straps, and Opetaia wants to take them off the winner of that bout.

"The winner of that should fight me," he said.

"They want to call themself the best cruiserweight, they've got to take me out first."

The Aussie remains focused on holding all the belts, even if the IBF doesn't want to be associated with Zuffa Boxing.

"Obviously I've just got to keep winning, but I believe it will happen," he said.

"I've had this dream in my head since I was a little boy, I've always chased it. I'm not f---ing stopping now."

Opetaia is hoping to fight former WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith soon, after the Englishman last week became Zuffa's latest big-name signing.