Opetaia is going to have to move up without unifying, isn’t he?

His promoter, DLH, has zero interest in making the fight. I wouldn't put it past DLH to sabotage this somehow. Unless Zurdo demands it . Like Garcia did to face Davis. We saw what happened there. DLH knows Zurdo will get smoked. He would rather milk that cow for as long as he can.

 

If Zurdo (and his people) cynically took a Paul fight, for numerous reasons I'd fully expect Zurdo to carry Paul for 8 or 9 rounds.

 

Breidis decimates Paul within two rounds, like Joshua did with Ngannou. Even someone like Bellew coming out of retirement would knock Paul spark out. Tommy Fury outboxed him, a domestic-level British fighter (at best) - Breidis' last fight was a competitive loss against Jai, there's no way Paul's team even contemplates that fight.

He's a carefully managed kid from the suburbs who cares more about his brand than the sport. If every aspect of his boxing "career" isn't meticulously managed, he faces becoming a meme, which is the worst case scenario for someone whose only currency is attention on social media. Breidis would be an insane risk to take, and it would be such a one-sided loss that the talk of Paul being anywhere near world level will be put to bed for good.

 

Once he beat Briedis and became the Ring champ, that's all he needed to do.

This generation of fans are really into belt collecting. Trying to collect them all isn't worth the trouble most of the time.

All it's gotten us is twice as many beltholders as before, because now the orgs are all naming "interim" champs the moment one guy unifies.

The WBC used to have one champ per division. Now, since unifications have become the norm, there are now six WBC interim champs and counting. The WBO used to have one. Now they have many interim champs. The IBF has them. The WBA calls them Regular champs, but has tons.

Even unifying four belts doesn't mean you have all the belts anymore. What's the point?

 

Please no.

Real fighters? Please watch and re-watch AJ vs. Ngannou. Defend the honor of the sport like AJ did. No mercy. A non-boxer wants to get in the ring with a capable boxer? Great. Show everyone what happens when you **** around like that.

Zurdo is fully capable of massacring Paul. I'd be highly disappointed if he held back even an ounce.

 

With WBA/WBO champion 'Zurdo' Ramirez having undergone shoulder surgery, the WBO have called for a fight between Ramirez's #1 & #2 challengers, Billam-Smith and Fress for the Interim WBO title.

All I can see this doing is putting another barrier between Ramirez and Opetaia.

 

I like Zurdo. He is a good kid who is usually in entertaining fights.
But they will doing everything they can to stall until Jai moves up to heavy in frustration.

 

Who knows how long it'll take for Zurdo to recuperate? And if he'll take on anything other than tune-ups for his first couple of return fights -- assuming he even returns? The WBA and WBO have to make some decisions here ... sooner rather than later.

To Zurdo's credit, he's got 49 fights under his belt(s) and only one loss, so he's got plenty to be proud of.

Meantime, can Turki or someone make a Badou Jack fight happen for Opetaia so we can at least address the WBC belt...?

 

Ramirez is trying to stall out Opetaia in the hopes that he moves up to heavyweight. I think Ramirez definitely wants to unify, but he wants to avoid Opetaia if at all possible.

I hope Turki just puts up the cash and we get Opetaia vs Ramirez or Opetaia vs Jack/Mikaelian winner early next year. But it wouldn't surprise me if Ramirez suddenly decided he has to defend his WBO mandatory rather than unifying or something similar.

There is benefit for Opetaia at heavyweight from unifying at Cruiserweight, it would guarantee him a higher ranking at heavyweight when he moves up and also he could get fast tracked for a title shot same as Usyk did via the WBO rules.

 

I can definitively tell you guys that Opetaia's team had a meeting about going up to Heavyweight. The answer from the man himself was no, he wants these belts at Cruiserweight and then moves up. It's about legacy for him.

 

Opetaia seems like that kind of person, once he sets his mind to something he tries his hardest to get it done.

 

Zurdo had shoulder surgery so he's probably not fighting again this year. Next year hel get a tuneup for reasons then have to fight a mandatory or the interim champion, so Zurdo-Opetaia more than likely isn't happening until 2027 unless Zurdo pushes for it.

Opetaia should just move up unless Zurdo says that his next fight no matter what is vs Opetaia, which doesn't seem likely

 

Right, I'd overlooked WBC's mandated Jack-Mikaelian rematch. [Sigh]

The wait continues.

I always get a bit of ribbing for suggesting Usyk help himself to Kevin Lerena's WBC Bridgerweight belt. But I wonder if Opetaia shouldn't take a look at that...? OK... it's a BS division, but... a belt's a belt.... (?)

 

Its what got Okolie a potential shot at the heavyweight title, if Usyk drops the belts, then Kabayel vs Okolie for the WBC is on the cards. If Usyk doesn't then Okolie is probably still only one fight away.

A title shot in three fights or less at heavyweight for a short stopover in Bridgerweight isn't a bad deal.