Jai Opetaia feels Anthony Joshua is a “soldier” and should get the rematch with IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois. Opetaia says that’s what he would do.
(Credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing)
If Joshua follows Opetaia’s advice, he could have his career turned around with a second brutal KO loss to Dubois. AJ was kicked out by the young lion. It’s risky for him to take a rematch right away rather than face a non-puncher later.
Joshua’s situation is slightly different to that of IBF cruiserweight champion Opetaia, 29, as he is not as young and would be facing a fighter who destroyed him in five rounds last month in a one-sided fight at Wembley Stadium on September 21.
AJ turns 35 on October 15th, and has a lot of miles to go in his 11-year professional career. He is not in his prime like Opetaia, fighting in a weak division like the cruiserweight division. The Australian fighter has a good thing in competition in his division because he doesn’t have to worry about the way Joshua does.
“Why don’t you want to get revenge? If I were him, I’d get revenge. Why not?” said Jai Opetaia to secondsout when asked if Anthony Joshua should take the rematch against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.
It’s hard to take Opetaia seriously when he says he would take a rematch if he was in a similar situation to Joshua. Would he really choose to fight someone who had knocked him down like AJ was? I don’t think he would if it meant that his career and his money opportunities were leaving.
“He’s boxed hard; anything could happen. Get in there. You know AJ, he’s a trooper. He never backs down from a challenge. He’s always working very hard, ticking every box going into a fight. He’s a machine. So why not ?” said Opetaia.
Joshua has always trained hard and comes into his fights in great shape. That doesn’t mean he can take the hard head shots that younger heavyweights like Dubois have to get caught with. That’s the real problem. Joshua is like a car that is fixed, but the engine is shot to pieces.
“It’s great for boxing. It opens up the heavyweight division even more,” Opetaia said of Dubois meeting Joshua. “There is another big name in boxing. AJ is such a big name without a world title. You have Daniel Dubois, who built himself.”
It’s not great for the heavyweight division that Dubois’ star has risen while Joshua’s has imploded. It’s not good because Dubois will never be the kind of star that Joshua has been. As long as Joshua can continue for another three to four years, it is a positive that Dubois has become one of the big names.
“He’s only 27 years old; he’s crazy. Look at the mistakes he’s made. He was just young. It’s been a rollercoaster to where he is now, and he’s made the world of boxing more exciting. I respect AJ, and I respect Dubois Opetaia said.
Jai Opetaia will defend his IBF cruiserweight title against Jack Massey on October 12th on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The event will be shown live on DAZN PPV. Opetaia has taken criticism from fans for choosing to defend against Massey rather than one of the talented contenders in the division. Massey is not seen as a compelling opponent for Opetaia compared to fighters like Chris Billiam-Smith and Gilberto Ramirez. However, the cruiserweight division is weak, and there isn’t much talent available. Therefore, Opetaia is a champion rather than a contender.
