Promoter Eddie Hearn needs the unified WBA & WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez to combat his fighter, IBF champ Jai Opetaia, subsequent in a three-belt championship match.
Hearn NEEDS Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) and his promoters at Golden Boy to comply with the unification as a result of the IBF has ordered Opetaia (26-0, 20 KOs) to defend towards his necessary subsequent, Huseyin Cinkara (22-0, 18 KOs).
That combat will entice little curiosity on DAZN. Opetaia’s Australian followers is not going to thoughts him defending towards the 39-year-old Cinkara, however the remainder of the world is not going to be excited in regards to the combat.
What Does De La Hoya Stand to Achieve?
Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya in all probability received’t need to do Hearn any favors by placing collectively a combat between his man, Zurdo Ramirez, and Opetaia as a result of he can be the underdog in that match. De La Hoya and Golden Boy ought to thumb their noses at Hearn and deal with persevering with to match Ramirez towards guys they know he can beat.
De La Hoya made a mistake as soon as of letting Zurdo combat Hearn’s combat Dmitry Bivol in 2022, and he was overwhelmed for the primary time in his profession by a one-sided 12-round unanimous choice. Oscar in all probability isn’t going to need to assist Hearn out once more by matching Ramirez towards Opetaia and watching him get rivaled by the IBF champ.
In case you’re De la Hoya, you need to proceed with placing Ramirez in with fighters like Chris Billiam-Smith and Arsen Goulamirian to try to make him a star. I don’t assume it’s potential at this level to show the 33-year-old Ramirez right into a star, however that received’t hold De La Hoya from persevering with to attempt.
Ramirez is an effective fighter, however he’s straightforward to hit, as we noticed in his combat towards Billiam-Smith. It might be a catastrophe for De La Hoya to match him towards Opetaia, who can actually punch.
“It’s the very best combat within the division, and it’s a must-make combat. Nearly as good as Zurdo is, Opetaia’s a distinct animal,” stated Hearn to @DAZNBoxing.
Cinkara vs. Opetaia: A Obligatory However Much less Interesting Battle
Cinkara stopped Armend Xhoxha within the second spherical on April twenty seventh in an IBF eliminator to change into the necessary for Opetaia’s belt.
It’s not a giant deal for Opetaia to face Cinkara subsequent as a result of a lot of the guys he’s fought throughout his nine-year profession in Australia have been little-known opposition.
The one recognized man that Opetaia fought was Mairis Briedis, and he gave him every kind of issues of their rematch. In that combat, Opetaia appeared afraid when he began taking punishment and fought loads like an even bigger model of Shakur Stevenson, motoring across the ring, making an attempt to not get hit.
