RINGSIDE By Doug Fischer THE PLIGHT OF JAI OPETAIA
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June 2026 Volume 103, No. 6
Founder Nathaniel Fleischer (1888-1972) Owner His Excellency Turki Alalshikh
Editor-in-Chief Douglass Fischer Managing Editor Tom Gray Senior Editor Brian Harty Creative Director Lamar Clark Controller Deborah L. Harrison
J ai Opetaia is considered the best cruiserweight in the world by both Ring Magazine and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, who recognize the 30-year-old southpaw as the true champion of the 200-pound division. Opetaia is also rated No. 1 at cruiserweight by BoxRec. com and ESPN. The gutsy Aussie earned that status by dethroning reigning Ring/IBF champ Mairis Briedis in July 2022. Since that hard-fought unanimous decision – achieved despite suffering serious jaw fractures early in the bout – he’s defended the Ring title eight times. Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) is a fighting champion, a dynamic athlete and a fearless competitor who wants nothing more than to prove he’s the king of the cruisers by taking on the best of the division. Normally such attributes add to a world-class fighter’s respect and popularity. However, in today’s polarized boxing landscape, Opetaia is an unwitting target of scorn from segments of the industry, media and fandom. These factions cheered when the IBF announced that they would strip him
Opetaia made his most recent defense against Brandon Glanton.
THE RING (ISSN: 0035-5410) June 2026, is published 12 times per year by The Ring Magazine FZ, LLC P.O. Box 90254 Brooklyn, NY 11209. Postmasters: Send change of address Notices to: The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept., PO Box 103 Camby West Congers NY 10920-0103 Phone: 845- 719-3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com Single copy price $9.99 in U.S.A. ,10.99 Canada (£10.99 in the U.K.). Global Subscription price $60.00 for 12 issues plus S&H. Not responsible for the loss or non-return of unsolicited articles or photographs, which will not be returned unless accompanied by a selfaddressed envelope bearing the proper amount of postage. The entire contents of this magazine are copyright ©2026 The Ring Magazine FZ-LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the content of advertisements appearing in this magazine, nor the delivery or quality of merchandise or services offered. No endorsement of any such advertisement is intended or implied. Advertisers and agencies assume liability for claims arising from the content of their advertisements. FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES AND RATES: advertising@ ringmagazine.com. U.S. / Canadian and International distribution by Comag Marketing Group LLC, 155 Village Blvd #200, Princeton, NJ 08540. UK distribution by Seymour Distribution Ltd., 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, England, EC1A 9PT. Printed In USA Subscription Inquiries Back Issues Inquiries Digital Orders Inquiries The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept. PO Box 103 Camby West Congers NY 10920-0103 Phone: 845-719-3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com Send Editorial Comments To: comeoutwriting@gmail.com or P.O. Box 90254 Brooklyn, NY 11209
of their title days before his March 8 defense against Brandon Glanton. On the day the sanctioning body made it official, March 23, many turned their sights on Opetaia’s Ring Magazine belt, taking to social media to ask when The Ring would declare its cruiserweight championship vacant. Older readers who aren’t preoccupied with boxing politics and don’t spend a lot of time on X or Instagram might wonder why anyone would want Opetaia to be stripped of his Ring belt or why these people would put pressure on the publication to do so. Well, one half of Opetaia’s dilemma is The Ring’s expanded championship policy. The Sydney native finds himself in one of the six situations that Ring champions can lose their belts, No. 5 in the championship rules, which states: “The Champion does not schedule a fight with a top-five contender from any weight class for two years.” The other half of his predicament is
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