Jai Opetaia's manager Mark Francis has doubled down on his prediction that the Australian cruiserweight star will fight Gilberto Ramirez this October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Opetaia retained IBF and Ring Magazine titles in comprehensive fashion after finishing off his gutsy challenger Claudio Squeo with a brutal fifth round knockout.
The impact of Opetaia's ferocious right hook was so devastating that it broke Squeo's jaw, with the Italian remaining on the canvas throughout the count before he was taken to hospital in the immediate aftermath of the fight.
Opetaia, 28-0 (22 KOs), is now closing in on a blockbuster bout with WBO and WBA cruiserweight champion Ramirez and proceeded to call out the Mexican fighter following his triumph.
“I’m chasing those unification fights – I’m chasing those world champions – and that’s where I’m focused," Opetaia said in his post-fight interview.
“Next fight: Zurdo Ramirez. He’s mentioned me; he’s told me he’ll fight me next after [his WBA and WBO world title defence against Yuniel Dorticos on June 28], so let’s get it on.
“The fight is easy to be made – we are ready. Whenever you call, we are ready.”
A Riyadh Season card in October has been mooted for the unification bout, with Opetaia eager to have the chance of completing his prolonged mission of becoming undisputed.
The 29-year-old Australian also outlined it's not just the cruiserweight division which he wishes to dominate after revealing that he now plans to become a champion in three weight classes, whilst namechecking Dmitry Bivol in a potential "superfight".
“I’m not chasing Zurdo specifically,” Opetaia explained of his cruiserweight mission. “I’m chasing the belts. I want to become undisputed.
“And once we do that, we can focus on going to bridgerweight or heavyweight.
A three-division world champion sounds good to me. Maybe even a superfight with (Dmitry) Bivol coming up.
“Because once I get my hands on one of these other champions and put on a clinic, they’re going to say f*** this kid is good.
“That’s what I want to do. But everything is just talk unless I keep winning.”
Opetaia is expected to be in attendance for Ramirez's bout against mandatory Yuniel Dorticos in Los Angeles at the end of June, where the Mexican is the co-main to Jake Paul’s latest headliner against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
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