Jai Opetaia has survived a late rally from Mairis Briedis to reclaim the IBF cruiserweight world title with a unanimous decision (116-112 x2, 117-111) victory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The rematch played out remarkably similar to their first meeting, with Opetaia banking most of the early rounds through smart boxing and quick movement.
A head clash appeared to bust Opetaia’s nose down the stretch, spurring Briedis on, but the 28-year-old Aussie was able to hold back the challenge of the three-time champion and take the win on the cards.
MORE: Fury vs. Usyk live updates, results and highlights
“He headbutted my nose, it’s a bit broken but we’ll get this fixed, we’ll line the next one up and we’ll be back soon,” Opetaia said after the fight.
“We knew we were in for a tough fight. We were ready for 12 rounds of war and that’s what we got.
“I broke his nose, he broke mine, we just kept punching on, shoutout to him.
“I’m not that happy with my performance. I know I can do a lot better but we go back to the drawing board, we work on a few things, we learn and we progress.”
When the pair first clashed in July 2022, Briedis was the experienced champion and Opetaia the rising contender.
On that occasion, Opetaia hung on to claim a points victory
despite having a badly broken jaw for the final few rounds.
This time around, Opetaia again shot out to a significant lead on the cards and, just like the first meeting, made a mess of the Latvian’s nose through the middle rounds, courtesy of a straight left in the sixth.
Briedis, who had been fighting largely on the counter and waiting on his right uppercut, picked up some momentum at times, having moments of success when the pair tangled at close range.
The southpaw vs. orthodox matchup brought about several incidental head clashes and one early in the 10th round immediately had Opetaia concerned.
Briedis, 39, saw his chance to steal the fight and went after Opetaia, who himself has shown he’s happy to fight fire with fire in those moments.
The wily veteran did find the target on several occasions in the championship rounds but nothing to really suggest he was about to stop Opetaia.
In the end, all three judges had it for Opetaia, who reclaims the IBF strap he vacated late last year
, improving to 25-0.
Briedis, who slips to 28-3, proved he can still mix it with the best at 200-pounds and he had Opetaia singing his praises after 24 rounds opposite him.
“Mairis Briedis, I’m honoured to share the ring with a champion like that,” Opetaia said.
“I watched this guy coming through the cruiserweight rankings, I used to idolise this guy.
“To be here and share the ring with him, he’s a true warrior and I’ve got nothing but respect. Thank you, Mairis.
“He got me with a few good shots, he’s a tough dude, he keeps coming forward, he wanted it.
“I could hear the pain in his punches, I take my hat off to him.”
Up next, Opetaia said, once he gets his nose repaired, he’s eyeing off a unification fight with the WBO champion ahead of Chris Billam-Smith’s clash with Richard Riakporhe next month.
Here’s how Opetaia vs. Briedis played out:
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis 2 results, updates and highlights
We go the distance! We’ve got Opetaia a winner on the cards, the judges could have it slightly wider but Briedis proved he’s still got plenty of fight in him.
SN Unofficial Scorecard
Round123456789101112TotalOpetaia1010101091099109109115Briedis99991091010910910113
Round 12: The pair exchange wildly to start the round, Briedis probably getting the better of it slightly. Opetaia happy to fight fire with fire as Briedis chases the finish. But Briedis lands hard with a right hand. Opetaia continuing to move nicely. AND WE GO THE DISTANCE.
Round 11: Briedis comes out aggressively but Opetaia lands hard on the counter. Opetaia on the backpedal now. The similarities with the first fight are uncanny. Does Briedis have the legs at 39 to swing this one? Opetaia moving backwards but landing the better shots. The Australian finishes the round on the front foot. Briedis needs a knockout in the last.
Round 10: Opetaia’s nose is bleeding now, quite possibly from a head clash. The Aussie not completely comfortable with it but he pushes on. Briedis going back to the uppercut and Opetaia finds the target with a straight left but wears an uppercut which appears to have Opetaia in a bit of trouble late in the round.
Round 9: Great round of boxing for Opetaia who moves well, landing shots on the way in and getting out of danger. Briedis’ nose is bleeding again. This could feasibly be a shutout for Opetaia depending on how the judges scored rounds five, seven and eight.
Round 8: Uppercut lands for Briedis, Opetaia unbothered. This is following a remarkably similar pattern to their first meeting so far. It was around this point that Briedis wrestled the momentum back his way. Can Opetaia stem the tide on this occasion? Another close one to the Latvian on our card.
Round 7: Pretty solid bounce back round for Briedis, whose nose appears to have stopped bleeding for the time being. Opetaia went away from the gameplan slightly as Briedis finds a bit of success on the inside. Another close one for Briedis.
Round 6: Opetaia lands a huge left hook to wobble his man, followed by a straight left, and Briedis’ nose is a mess, just like the first fight. Opetaia wary of the power coming back so not getting carried away with the follow-ups. All of a sudden, Briedis’ face is completely covered in blood.
Round 5: Not a whole lot of action in that round but Briedis did seem to upset the rhythm of the Australian slightly. Briedis edges it.
Round 4: Briedis finds the target with a couple shots early in the round. He’s doing his best work in close. But Opetaia fights back strongly to score from range, to the body and then head. Close round but Opetaia’s activity takes it.
Round 3: Straight left lands for Opetaia and then takes one to the body but fires right back to Briedis’ head. The Latvian looking to fight on the counter for the most part but Opetaia proving elusive enough so far.
Round 2: More action that round. Opetaia lands some big shots on the ropes but Briedis stands up to them well. Briedis lands a shot to the back of the head. Briedis lands a couple of right uppercuts to keep Opetaia on his toes.
Round 1: Cagey opening round from both. Opetaia on the front foot but cautious. Briedis sitting back and waiting. Nothing substantial landed.
7:04am AEST: The fighters have made their walks. Nothing left to do but fight.
6:53am AEST: Opetaia and Briedis are next to the ring. Here are the results from the card so far:
Anthony Cacace def. Joe Cordina (c) via (TKO 8/12) for the IBF super featherweight titleFrank Sanchez def. Agit Kabayel via (KO 7/12); HeavyweightsMoses Itauma def. Ilja Mezencev (TKO 2/10); HeavyweightsMark Chamberlain def. Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab (KO 1/10); LightweightsRobin Safar def. Sergey Kovalev (UD 10); CruiserweightsDavid Nyika def. Michael Seitz (4/10 TKO); CruiserweightsDaniel Lapin def. Octavio Pudivitr (KO 1/10); Light HeavyweightsIsaac Lowe def. Hasibullah Ahmadi (PTS 10); Featherweights
What time is Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis 2?
The Ring Of Fire card goes down on Saturday, May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The main card is due to kick off at 12pm ET, with the main event expected to begin around 6pm.
Opetaia vs. Briedis is the penultimate fight on the card.
All times are approximate and will depend on the length of the earlier bouts.
Main cardOpetaia vs. Briedis 2Fury vs. UsykUS (ET)12:00pm5:00pm6:00pmUS (PT)9:00am2:00pm3:00pmUK (GMT)5:00pm10:00pm11:00pmAus (AEST)2:00am*7:00am*8:00am*Saudi Arabia7:00pm12:00am*1:00am*
*Sunday, May 19
How to watch Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis 2: TV channel, live stream
In the U.S., Fury vs. Usyk will be available on DAZN and ESPN+ PPV. It is available via TNT Sports Box Office in the U.K., while Aussie fans can tune in on DAZN.
RegionTV channelLive streamingUnited States—DAZN PPV, ESPN+ PPV, PPV.comCanada—PPV.comUK and Ireland—TNT Sports Box Office, DAZN PPVAustralia—DAZN PPV
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight card
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk for the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight titlesJai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis for the vacant IBF cruiserweight titleJoe Cordina (c) vs. Anthony Cacace for the IBF super featherweight title Frank Sanchez vs. Agit Kabayel; HeavyweightMoses Itauma vs. Ilija Mezencev; HeavyweightMark Chamberlain vs. Joshua Wahab; LightweightSergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirawn Safar; Light heavyweightDaniel Lapin vs. Octavio Pudivtr; Light heavyweightDavid Nyika vs. Michael Seitz; CruiserweightIsaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi; Featherweight
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