Jai Opetaia
Jai Opetaia is an Australian professional boxer who has held the WBA Oceania cruiserweight title since 2019. As an amateur he won a bronze medal at the 2012 Youth World Championships and represented Australia at the 2012 Olympics and 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Amateur career
In Opetaia's amateur career, he won the Light Heavyweight title at the 2011 Junior World Championships then qualified for the 2012 Olympics as a Heavyweight at the age of 16, making him the youngest ever Australian Olympic boxer.Opetaia won the Junior World title in Kazakhstan in July 2011.
At the Olympic qualifier in Canberra 2012 he had a tough final against New Zealander David Light but prevailed 15:10.
In 2012, Opetaia got the bronze medal at the AIBA World Youth Championships in the heavyweight division. Later that year, Opetaia competed at the 2012 Olympics, however did not pass the first round of the tournament.
Personal life
He is related to Australian soccer player Tim Cahill and rugby league player Ben Roberts of Parramatta Eels.Professional boxing titles
- Australian New South Wales State
- *Australia – New South Wales State heavyweight title
- Australian National Boxing Federation
- *Australian National cruiserweight title
- World Boxing Council
- *Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation cruiserweight title
- International Boxing Federation
- *World Youth cruiserweight title
Professional boxing record
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
19 | Win | 19–0 | Mark Flanagan | TKO | 8, 3:00 | 16 Nov 2019 | Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, Australia | Retained WBA Oceania, and WBO Global cruiserweight titles; Won inaugural IBF Asia cruiserweight title |
18 | Win | 18–0 | Nikolas Charalampous | UD | 10 | 27 Jul 2019 | Luna Park, Sydney, Australia | Retained WBA Oceania interim cruiserweight title; Won vacant WBO Global cruiserweight title |
17 | Win | 17–0 | Navosa Ioata | TKO | 8, 1:13 | 15 May 2019 | The Star, Sydney, Australia | Won vacant WBA Oceania interim cruiserweight title |
16 | Win | 16–0 | Kurtis Pegoraro | KO | 2, 1:25 | 29 Jun 2018 | Pullman & Mercure, Brisbane, Australia | Retained WBO Asia-Pacific cruiserweight title; Won vacant IBF Pan Pacific cruiserweight title |
15 | Win | 15–0 | Lukas Paszkowsky | TKO | 2, 2:35 | 7 Apr 2018 | Convention & Exhibition Centre, Brisbane, Australia | Won vacant WBO Asia-Pacific cruiserweight title |
14 | Win | 14–0 | Benjamin Kelleher | TKO | 3, 2:36 | 17 Jan 2018 | The Star, Sydney, Australia | Retained Australian cruiserweight title |
13 | Win | 13–0 | Frankie Lopez | TKO | 1, 2:55 | 21 Oct 2017 | Function Centre at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia | Won vacant IBF Youth cruiserweight title |
12 | Win | 12–0 | Daniel Ammann | TKO | 9, 1:49 | 15 Jul 2017 | Wests City Club, Newcastle, Australia | Won vacant Australian and WBC-OPBF cruiserweight title |
11 | Win | 11–0 | Moses Havea | TKO | 2, 1:03 | 12 May 2017 | North Sydney Leagues Club, Sydney, Australia | Retained New South Wales heavyweight title |
10 | Win | 10–0 | Kyle Brumby | TKO | 2 1:26 | 8 Apr 2017 | Doltone House, Sydney, Australia | |
9 | Win | 9–0 | Togasilimai Letoa | TKO | 2, 0:30 | 10 Feb 2017 | Faleata Sports Complex Gym 1, Apia, Samoa | |
8 | Win | 8–0 | Isileli Fa | TKO | 3, 0:36 | 23 Dec 2016 | Southern Cross Group Stadium, Sydney, Australia | |
7 | Win | 7–0 | Peter Brennan | KO | 1, 2:46 | 9 Dec 2016 | Horden Pavilion, Sydney, Australia | Won vacant New South Wales heavyweight title |
6 | Win | 6–0 | Uria Afamasaga | TKO | 2, 0:37 | 14 Oct 2016 | Silverdome Basketball Stadium, Launceston, Australia | |
5 | Win | 5–0 | Sefo Falekaono | 6, 1:11 | 22 Jul 2016 | Mediterranean House, Sydney, Australia | ||
4 | Win | 4–0 | Orlando Vazquez | UD | 4 | 23 Apr 2016 | Centro de Usos Multiples, Los Mochis, Mexico | |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Randall Rayment | UD | 6 | 28 Nov 2015 | Mansfield Tavern, Brisbane, Australia | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Rob Manual | 1, 2:46 | 14 Aug 2015 | The Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne, Australia | ||
1 | Win | 1–0 | Isileli Fa | 4 | 1 Aug 2015 | Stadium Southland, Invercargill, New Zealand |