Injury to Jai Opetaia has forced a three-week delay to his Gold Coast world title defence against Claudio Squeo.
The Ring and IBF cruiserweight king was due to fight on May 13 in what he described as a “stay busy” encounter against the 17-0 Italian.
Opetaia’s camp is chasing a blockbuster three-belt unification bout with star Mexican Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez that is yet to materialise.
But Opetaia’s camp issued a statement on Saturday saying a “minor injury sustained in training” required more time to heal.
They will now square off on June 8, the main event of a stacked domestic card at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
“Being the animal that Jai is in the ring, he takes no opponent lightly,” manager Mick Francis said.
“He wants to be 100 per cent fit to defend … under doctor’s orders, we have pushed the fight back by three weeks to ensure Jai is in top form for the bout.”
Opetaia is 27-0 with his last victory a savage knockout of brave New Zealander David Nyika on the Gold Coast in January.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/boxing/opetaia-title-defence-delayed-after-training-mishap-c-18276042
