Latest news with #ClaudioSqueo
The Independent
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Conor Wallace is ready to ‘shoot for the stars' as he prepares for Dylan Colin fight
Conor Wallace will return to the ring this weekend to take on Dylan Colin as chief support to his stablemate Jai Opetaia vs Claudio Squeo in Australia. The Irish-born Aussie had a busy 2024, fighting three times. He outpointed Jerome Pampellone between two knockouts over Jack Gipp and Asemahle Wellem. Wallace has had a brief lay-off after having surgery on his hand but is happy for the time off and feels as though he will be back better than ever as he continues to rebuild from a loss to Leti Leti in 2021, which he avenged via knockout eighteen months later to get back on track. Wallace said: '[After a couple of hand surgeries] I've gone from strength to strength. Having that loss to Leti Leti - then rematching him and knocking him out is probably the best thing that could have happened. I got that loss out of the way, it made me hungrier. I wasn't an undefeated prospect anymore.' Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev trilogy fight - with many top-ranked fighters waiting for their opportunity. Wallace is ranked number two by the IBF and number seven by both the WBC and WBO. He said the state of the division is frustrating for the top fighters at the moment due to the uncertainty surrounding the belts. But he doesn't want to focus on that - instead relishing the opportunity to fight again and stay ready for any opportunities that may come. He said, 'It's frustrating, we have done all this good work to get to number two in the IBF.' He added: 'It is what it is, all that stuff is out of my control. My job is to stay focused, and I've got a great team around me, and I'm happy to be given the chance to stay active' Having only fought in Australia so far, Wallace has gone through all the top opposition domestically at 175 lbs and is ready to take the next step to fight internationally because he has nothing left to prove at the national level. Wallace said: 'I can't get any higher [ranked] than I am without fighting an international opponent. I've taken the risk many times in Australia with Jack Gipp and even fought the South African guy [Asemahle Wellem]. I've got everything to lose and nothing to gain in those fights.' He continued: 'We are happy to go wherever for the big fights, we have done all the hard work to get into the position I am now, so the main thing is to beat whoever they put in front of me, and no matter where that is, we will go.' The Aussie said he will fight anyone to achieve his world title dream sooner rather than later, and is not overlooking Colin, but represents the next step on his journey to the top of the light-heavyweight division. Wallace said: 'My goal is to win a world title, and I'll fight whoever for that.' He added on his future: 'There is only so long you can wait. Hopefully, everything goes to plan. I'm not overlooking this opponent, but hopefully we can get through him, and hopefully we can get a big fight towards the end of the year. You've got to shoot for the stars.'
ABC News
16 hours ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Jai Opetaia and Justis Huni set for twin world title fights on Sunday
Sunday, June 8 is shaping up to be a potentially seismic day for Australian boxing. In the morning (AEDT), unbeaten heavyweight Justis Huni will look to make the most of the surprise launch pad and set himself up for some of the biggest nights in sport. Then, half a world away on the Gold Coast that evening, Jai Opetaia will defend his IBF and The Ring cruiserweight world titles. Huni will face Briton Fabio Wardley in what is expected to be a boiler-house atmosphere at Ipswich Town's Portman Road stadium for the interim WBA heavyweight championship. The winner of that fight puts himself closer to the heavyweight championship of the world. And although Huni is a big underdog amongst the bookies, some are backing the Aussie with the impressive amateur pedigree to step up and shock the man whose pre-professional experience is limited to four white collar boxing bouts. Like the 27 challengers who have come before him, Opetaia (27-0, 21KOs) is intent on swatting away the threat of Italian Claudio Squeo (17-0, 9KOs) as he plans to derail the Australian boxing superstar's undisputed world title dream. Despite entering the bout as a 15-1 underdog, the Italian is promising to prove the doubters wrong and pull off one of boxing's great boilovers at the Gold Coast Exhibition Centre. "This is a big opportunity to shock the world, the people writing you off," Squeo said through a translator on Friday. But with a multi-million-dollar payday and a place in Australian boxing immortality also at stake, Opetaia is having none of it. With much bigger fish to fry, the 29-year-old is vowing to win whatever way is required, knowing a loss is non negotiable ahead of a succession of potential super fights that could propel him to Hall of Fame status. "I believe I can beat him in the pocket, I believe I can outbox him. We are just going to fight smart," Opetaia said. "We've got to choose our battles and just wait til Sunday." The fight comes almost three years after a then-unfancied Opetaia defied two jaw fractures to beat champion Mairis Briedis and claim his two straps. Opetaia has fought five times since, with the Briedis rematch last year his only genuine challenge, and is yet to land a shot at the other three belts in his division. Badou Jack owns the WBC belt but it is WBO and WBA champion Gilberto Ramírez who is firmly in Opetaia's sights. The Mexican two-weight champion is due for a mandatory defence later this month and insistent he will face Opetaia next. Should both win, as most predict they will, Opetaia will be in line to finally secure a unification blockbuster against Ramírez later this year. An Opetaia-Ramírez mega-money four-belt stoush would sit nicely on the undercard to September's historic duel between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford in Las Vegas. Little wonder why Opetaia's priority is to see off Squeo however he needs to, saying he's even ready to slug it out for 12 full rounds if that is what it takes. "Once that bell goes every time, man, it's on and I'm ready for 12 rounds of war," he said. "I've got no doubt he's going to come forward. That's got to be his game plan. "We've just got to be patient. We just stick to our game plan, do what we do and we put on clinics. "So on Sunday, I love to put on a clinic. We always do the goods, we always put on good performances. "We are some hard-noses. We've been in the trenches the last couple of weeks. I'm riding in the wave. You know how I train to stop people." ABC/AAP
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Australia's best boxer reveals what would happen if he got in the ring with influencer turned 'fighter' Jake Paul
Aussie cruiserweight king Jai Opetaia has revealed exactly what he'd do to Jake Paul if the two ever met in the ring, ahead of his title defence on the Gold Coast this weekend. Opetaia, 29, will take on Italy's Claudio Squeo on Sunday where the undefeated Aussie will look to make his third straight defence of his IBF title. If Opetaia is successful he will likely be matched up against Mexican southpaw Gilbert Ramirez, who holds the WBO and WBA straps. However, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has also revealed his quest to be Cruiserweight champion and has spoken about fighting Ramirez. Opetaia says Paul's chances against himself would be astronomically small. 'It's why I don't even like talking about Jake Paul,' Opetaia told News Corp. 'That guy, he isn't world class. 'C'mon, now. 'I would bash the s*** out of Jake Paul, literally.' Opetaia, who boasts a 27-0 record and is Australia's best pound-for-pound boxer, would not say no if the The Problem Child wanted to fight him. 'But if Jake Paul wants to fight me, bring it on,' he said. 'I'll absolutely bash him on the way to becoming undisputed. 'But we know he's smarter than that. 'These guys, they're about business. 'They don't want to be the best fighter in the world, they want to be the most famous. 'And there's a real big difference in the two.' Opetia's fight against Ramirez is a top priority for the Aussie pug, but he understands if the Mexican wants to chase a big payday against Paul. 'I feel like I'm the cruiserweight that generates the most money with [Ramirez], the biggest payday fight, but it's a risk for him,' he told The Ring. 'I honestly believe if he wants to call himself the best cruiserweight in the world, he's got to beat me first, and until he does that he's not. 'I don't know what he wants to do or what he's trying to do ... he's chasing coin, you can't knock him if he wants to fight Jake Paul for a huge lump sum of money, who'd turn that down? I'd bash Jake Paul for a [expletive] couple mil, too. So it is what it is. 'I'm chasing unification fights. I just believe I am the best in the division and I believe if I just keep winning, the money's going to come anyway, so I just need the fights to happen.'
