Jai Opetaia drops German in brutal KO, keeps titles and calls for unification fights

Just hours after his latest war in the boxing ring, Jai Opetaia has once again proven why the Pacific claims him with pride.

The 30-year-old Australia-born Sāmoan dropped Germany’s Huseyin Cinkara with a ruthless eighth-round knockout to retain his International Boxing Federation (IBF) and Ring Magazine World titles on the Gold Coast, Queensland, on Saturday night.

Opetaia slipped in a sharp right tuck to Cinkara's body before landing a powerful left hook straight to the German champion, sending him to the ropes.

Despite extending his record to a stellar 29-0, Opetaia shared his frustrations with reporters in the post-match conference.

“That performance, I’m very disappointed in myself. You know we’ve had a very big camp and I feel like I’ve let some people down with that performance,” Opetaia says.

Throughout the bout, the ringside commentators urged Opetaia to “calm down” in his style, saying he looked determined to dominate Cinkara instead of letting the fight come to him.

Huseyin Cinkara and Jai Opetaia exchanging words post match. Photo/Instagram

But the German challenger had no intention of backing down as he came out fierce and firing, to keep himself in the contest.

Cinkara's pressure paid off early. In the second round, he clipped Opetaia with a double right-hand jab that briefly knocked the champion off balance, though Opetaia recovered quickly.

Opetaia later admits that the moment did not dictate the rest of his performance.

“I just feel like it was myself. I felt like I just fought like shit, to be honest. But you get these nights and we’ll perform better. We’ll go back to the drawing board and we perfect it. It was a lot of mistakes."

He even welcomed the wake-up call: “To be honest, I think I needed it, a bit of humble pie, never get too big for your boots. Cinkara bro, you’re a soldier, but like I said back to the drawing board… watch this space bro, bigger, stronger, and faster.”

It took several minutes for Cinkara to fully regain consciousness after the knockout, with medical staff rushing in as soon as he hit the canvas.

Despite the loss, the German-born fighter praised Opetaia's power and composure.

Jai Opetaia of Australia, during a training camp. Photo/Facebook

“I came here for war. I was prepared. We both went to war and we had a great fight. But there's a reason why [Jai] is the number one Cruiserweight in the world and I got no doubt that he’s going to take all the belts,” Cinkara told reporters.

For Pacific boxing fans, the Gold Coast showdown delivered from the opening bell, right down to Opetaia’s ring walk, marked by the powerful Sāmoan hymn, Ua Fa’afetai.

Fellow Sāmoan heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker was also at the bout to show his support.

Looking ahead, Opetaia has made it clear that the mission hasn't changed.

“We want the unification fights… I want the WBO, the WBC man. I’m chasing these belts. I’ve been asking for them for a long time, so hopefully we get those over the line. At the moment, we’re going back to the gym and sharpen up,” Opetaia says.

The opponent at the top of his wishlist remains Mexican star Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, who has kept a close eye on Opetaia's rise.

Tasman Fighters promoter Mick Francis did not mince his words at the Gold Coast contest. He called out Ramirez, saying they want to make this fight happen.

“The fight that [Jai] wants is Zurdo Ramirez. Now, Zurdo Ramirez has gone around saying he doesn’t know who Jai is, which is a load of crap.

“Jai’s been calling this guy out. We’ve been calling this guy out for over a year now, so about time he grows some nuts and takes on Jai Opetaia,” Francis says.