WORLD BEAT
“I know what Jai is like. Jai is happy to box if he wants to box. If he wants to bang and bring it, then Jai will bang. Jai will find a chink in his armor.” The shot that Nyika landed to Opetaia’s dome simply served to wake up the 29-year-old Queensland-based southpaw. Opetaia came out in the third round and showed no mercy for his former sparring partner, picking up the pace and going through the gears. In the fourth, he nailed Nyika with a right uppercut to the jaw, sinking the challenger to the canvas. Although Nyika was quickly back on his feet, the writing was on the wall. Moments later, Opetaia landed a three-punch combination to the head that sent Nyika reeling to the ropes. With the challenger out on his feet and referee David Fields not prepared to intervene, Opetaia drilled home one final left hand that spun Nyika around 180 degrees and saw him pitch face- first to the canvas, out cold. Nyika remained unconscious on the canvas for some time as medical staff attended to him. Eventually, he was able to leave the ring under his own steam. Opetaia wasted little time in his post-fight interview letting the live crowd and viewers at home know who he wanted next. “Ramirez, I’m coming for the belts. We’re coming for the rest of the belts, man. We’re coming for them,” said Opetaia, who was having his first fight in Australia since defeating Mairis Briedis in their initial encounter at the same venue two and a half years ago. “I’ve been chasing a unification fight for a long time. I’m coming for my belts.” In two showcase fights on the undercard, heavyweights Justis Huni and Teremoana Teremoana both scored early knockouts.
Brisbane’s Huni, 25, dispatched South Africa’s Shaun Potgieter with a flurry of blows early in the second round of his 12th pro bout. Olympian Teremoana, 26, also of Brisbane, barely got his motor started before flattening Germany’s Osasu Otobo with a left hook in the opening frame. Next up for Huni is a trip to the hospital for surgery to remove two bone chips from his left elbow before a possible bout against unbeaten Brit Johnny “The Romford Bull” Fisher later this year. Teremoana, who is now 6-0 with six knockouts, is expected to box as frequently as possible in 2025 as he looks to build his pro experience. Jason Moloney lands high- profile bout in Japan Road warrior Jason Moloney is set to return to Japan when he takes on former K1 star Tenshin Nasukawa in a 10-rounder at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on February 24. The card is headlined by The Ring’s No. 1-rated bantamweight Junto Nakatani defending his WBC strap against David Cuellar, and it will also feature Seiya Tsutsumi making the maiden defense of his WBA 118-pound belt against ex-WBC flyweight titleholder Daigo Higa. Moloney lost his WBO bantamweight title to Yoshiki Takei at the Tokyo Dome in May in what was his second defense of the belt. Undeterred, the 34-year-old headed back to Japan for a monthlong training camp to help Tsutsumi prepare for his title fight against Takuma Inoue in October. After watching his friend defeat Inoue by decision, Moloney got a close- up look at Nasukawa the following night, when the 26-year-old southpaw outpointed Gerwin Asilo over 10 heats in his fifth pro bout. “Tenshin is incredibly popular over here. He’s more popular than Nakatani and gets more attention,” Moloney told The Ring at the time. “There are whispers that they
will try to present him as a possible opponent for me. Obviously I’d prefer a title fight, but he’s a big name over here, so that’s another name we would consider. We’ll wait and see.” Moloney is ranked No. 7 by The Ring at 118 pounds. Irish-Australian TJ Doheny to face Nick Ball Adopted Aussie TJ Doheny will travel to Liverpool, England, to challenge WBA featherweight titleholder Nick Ball at Echo Arena on March 15. At 38, the Irish southpaw has enjoyed a late-career resurgence over the past two years, culminating in a shot at undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue last September in Tokyo. Doheny lost that fight, retiring from the contest early in the seventh round after suffering a back injury. But his performance was sufficiently competitive to earn him another payday at a higher weight against The Ring’s No. 3-ranked 126-pounder. Ball is coming off a stellar year that saw him log wins over Ronny Rios and Raymond Ford as well as a hotly disputed split draw against Rey Vargas. George Kambosos Jr. returns in March Former Ring Magazine lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. is expected to make his Matchroom and 140-pound debut in Sydney, New South Wales, on March 22. As we go to print, no opponent has been announced. It will mark the 31-year-old’s first fight in his hometown in almost eight years. Kambosos has not boxed since his 11th-round knockout loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko in Perth, Western Australia, last May. Matchroom had planned to pair Kambosos up with fellow Australian Liam Paro, except the 28-year-old Queensland southpaw surrendered his IBF title on points to Richardson Hitchins in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in December.
Opetaia's belt collection currently includes the Ring and IBF cruiserweight titles. He wants more.
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