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Opetaia has been gearing up for his title defense with intense training sessions since the start of the month. During a training session on Wednesday, the Australian boxer took 44 straight punches to the stomach in less than 30 seconds. He kept moving, but let his arms hang loose, with no intention of defending or fighting back.
As an amateur, Opetaia won a bronze medal at the 2012 Youth World Boxing Championships and represented Australia at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Opetaia, born in 1995, has won all 25 of his professional fights, with 19 knockouts. He won the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles when he defeated Mairis Briedis in July 2022, and defended both titles with a technical knockout win over Jordan Thompson in September 2023.
The Australian was stripped of his IBF title due to a disagreement with the IBF, but retained his The Ring title when he knocked out Ellis Zorro in December 2023. He retained his The Ring title and regained his IBF title when he defeated Mairis Briedis in May 2024.
Opetaia will defend his two cruiserweight titles against British boxer Jack Massey at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 12. Massey has lost two and won 22 matches in his professional career, including 12 knockout victories.
Massey worked as a scaffolder with his brother and with his father in a brake pad factory. The 31-year-old says the advice he received from his father and brother during this period helped him decide to pursue a boxing career.
"My dad has worked at the same brake pad factory for 40 years," he told SunSport. "When I was there he would always say to me: ‘Do you want to be stuck here like me for the rest of your life or do you want to make something of yourself in boxing?'
"When I used to work with my brother, he would say ‘do you really want to be doing this’? They both told me I could make something of my life through boxing and that has stuck with me."
IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia takes 44 punches into his stomach to train for his title defense match
