Jai Opetaia dethrones Mairis Briedis in cruiserweight upset

Jai Opetaia upset defending IBF cruiserweight champion Mairis Briedis at the Gold Coast Convention Center in Broadbeach, Australia, Saturday night. 

Scores were 116-112,115-113, and 116-112 all for Opetaia. 

Maxboxing had Opetaia winning by a 115-113 tally. 

Briedis, a champion since 2016, opened the fight patiently against southpaw Opetaia. He bobbed and weaved. Opetaia (22-0, 17 KOs) probed and scored with his right jab. Briedis (28-2, 20 KOs) connected with a right near the end of the stanza, but went back to his corner with blood dripping from a slight cut over his right eye. 

Opetaia, bouncing and moving, continued to box in round two. Briedis, bringing more heat, worked the body. Opetaia as well. Seconds later, he connected with a combination. Briedis fired an overhand right.

Briedis clipped Opetaia with a right in round three, but the younger Opetaia (10 years) big edge in speed was paying off. He clocked Briedis with a fast one-two and sweeping hook. Briedis fought back – landing some hard shots. 

In round four, Opetaia timed Briedis perfectly with a left to the mouth. Briedis jabbed but ate a solid left in return. Seconds later, an uppercut buzzed Briedis – likely breaking his nose. Opetaia was fighting well and feeling it. He opened round five aggressively. Briedis was searching for something to land. His nose was bleeding profusely. The clever Australian’s jab continued to sting. 

Opetaia used more lateral movement in round six. He stepped in with a body shot that Briedis felt. Briedis was short with most of his counters. Opetaia had likely won five of the first six frames. 

The bloody Briedis opened round seven with a couple of hard blows. Opetaia held on. Was he hurt? Not much as he connected with two long left hands. Briedis caught Opetaia with two rights in round eight. Opetaia remained calm and boxed. Briedis fired the old one-two. 

In round nine, Opetaia scored with a straight left. Briedis went back to the body. Opetaia clobbered Briedis with two hard blows to the head. Briedis nailed Opetaia with a hard right, but the challenger took it well. 

Opetaia pumped his right jab in round 10. The stronger Briedis connected with another right. Opetaia forced Briedis into the ropes, but Briedis, fighting desperately, cracked Opetaia with heavy shots. 

Briedis forced the action in round 11 - landing an uppercut. Opetaia cracked him with a left. Briedis, who resides in Rigo, Latvia, worked on the inside and outside, scoring with uppercuts.  

In the 12th and final round, Briedis fired a right. Opetaia moved to his left. Briedis scored, and Opetaia walked through it. Briedis was loading up. Opetaia, fighting with a broken jaw, stabbed Briedis with jabs. Briedis forced Opetaia into the ropes and scored with several hard uppercuts.