Australia needs a new boxing hero. This is who fans should get behind

Sydney Morning Herald

6 days ago

The only other man to have beaten Briedis is the great Oleksandr Usyk, via a controversial points decision, before he went up a division and became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
The world's top promoter, Eddie Hearn, believes Opetaia is the only man capable of dethroning Usyk. Opetaia plans to do just that, but wants to clean out the cruiserweight division first. And also collect the belts in bridgerweight division on his way up.
'For sure, if [the Usyk] fight did come around, I'd take it straight away,' Opetaia said. 'Obviously I'm chasing undisputed [cruiserweight champion status], but a fight like that, that's a no-brainer. Of course I would do that.
'That's a legacy on its own. It's all just talk – he said, she said stuff. Until I see a contract in front of me, I will stick to my guns.
'Once I become undisputed, I will fight whoever, wherever. I'm just chasing undisputed as a cruiserweight, and once I tick that box, whoever wants it can get it.'
For now, Opetaia is toiling away in relative anonymity in his homeland. That's because the focus has instead been on the likes of Paul Gallen, the former Sharks and NSW captain, who earned a controversial points decision against rival Sonny Bill Williams. Or the fading Tim Tszyu, whose career is again at the crossroads after losing his third fight in four starts, against WBC super-welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora.
The Gallen-Williams fight was a decade in the making and punters lapped it up; it was the most purchased fight ever shown on Stan.
But Gallen has now retired, Williams is expected to do likewise and Tszyu's star has faded after three humbling world title losses. Other drawcards, including Anthony Mundine and Jeff Horn, have left a once thriving local scene, while the lustre has come off the likes of George Kambosos, Justis Huni, Liam Wilson and Harry Garside at a time when $70 is the asking price to tune into most cards on Stan or Foxtel's Main Event.
Just as boxing fans were asking themselves whether any local is worth that investment, something seismic happened on the other side of the world.
Turki Al-Sheikh, the billionaire Saudi Arabian promoter, announced that his promotions shown on DAZN – including the upcoming blockbuster between Terence Crawford and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez – would no longer be pay-per-view events.
The move could totally disrupt the way big events are consumed. In a bid to boost subscriptions and thwart piracy, Al-Sheikh has blown up the model. From now on, punters can get all the offerings from DAZN – which recently acquired Foxtel – from $14.95 a month.
At the same time, the sport here appears headed towards a decline: Tszyu is becoming a hard sell; brother Nikita is yet to prove himself as world class; former undisputed lightweight world champion Kambosos has lost four of his past six fights; heavyweight Huni was knocked out in his last outing; Wilson may struggle to get another world title shot; ditto boxing brothers Andew and Jason Moloney.
Meanwhile, Olympian Garside is generating more headlines outside the ring than in it, Brock Jarvis was humbled by Keith Thurman, while Liam Paro is trying to position himself for another title shot after losing to IBF super-lightweight champion Richardson Hitchins, who may have recently ended Kambosos' career in their last fight.
There are others on the local scene showing promise, including Demsey McKean, Conor Wallace, Alex Leapai jnr, Paulo Aokuso, Kris Terzievski and Teremoana Teremoana. There's even talk of the sons of Anthony Mundine and Danny Green – Rahim 'CJ' Mundine and Archie Green – facing off in the future.
'He's got a similar style to his dad; I've got a similar style to my dad,' said CJ Mundine after knocking out Joe Vatusaqata in their super-middleweight clash on the Gallen-Williams undercard last month.
'Everyone knows what goes on when that happens. It would be like Conor Benn and Chris Eubank jnr, an Australian version.'
However, there are fewer marketable local boxers now than there were five years ago. Which brings us back to Opetaia. The 30-year-old's next fight is likely to be a mandatory defence against Huseyin Cinkara, with a win allowing him to turn his attention to a unification bout against WBO and WBA champion Gilberto 'Zurdo″⁣ Ramirez early next year.
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Becoming the heavyweight champion of the world – via a potential clash with Usyk – could then be on the cards.
'It's not my style to sit here and talk shit, but everyone is beatable,' Opetaia said.
'Heavyweights are trying to fight him the wrong way, they are trying to hurt him and knock him out instead of boxing with him. He's beatable.'