But first he must get through Cinkara.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust another day in the office,\u201d Opetaia said. \u201cJust looking to put on a clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Cinkara, at the age of 40, it is the last chance to take down a big name. For Opetaia, 10 years his junior, there are bigger paydays ahead if he can come through unscathed.<\/p>\n
Ring of Fire fight cardJai Opetaia v Huseyin Cinkara\u200b: IBF and The Ring world cruiserweight titlesMax McIntyre v Jed Morris\u200b: WBC Australasian super middleweight titleJake Wyllie v Paul FlemingTeremoana Teremoana v German Garcia MontesBenny Mahoney v Winston Hill\u200b: IBF Pan Pacific super welterweight titleJason Moloney v Herlan Gomez\u200b: WBC Australasian bantamweight titleJack Gregory v Hayden Emmerson: IBF youth middleweight world title<\/p>\n
\u201cWe actually offered Cinkara more money to step aside than what we did to fight,\u201d said Opetaia\u2019s manager Mick Francis. \u201cHe thinks he will knock Jai out. He\u2019s delusional.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opetaia is perhaps Australia\u2019s best-kept sporting secret. While he is respected by the boxing fraternity and feared by his opponents, he isn\u2019t a household name in Australia. That could well change if he becomes the unified cruiserweight champion and has similar success as a heavyweight but, for now, the biggest challenge is finding willing opponents.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe money that Ramirez is asking for is pie in the sky stuff,\u201d Francis said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRamirez does not want to fight Jai. He\u2019s 36 years old, he\u2019s got a young family, he\u2019s a Mexican superstar over there, he makes a lot of money in endorsements.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he end his career with a hiding from Jai Opetaia?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t have made $8 million in his whole career.<\/p>\n
\u201cBenavidez, they call him a monster and he is a different beast. I think he will take the fight with Jai. He isn\u2019t scared of anyone. He\u2019s not as old as Ramirez, he\u2019s virtually the Mexican version of Jai Opetaia. He\u2019s an animal, and he\u2019s not scared of any man.\u201d<\/p>\n