“I felt like I just fought like shit, to be honest. But you get these nights, we perform better, we go back to the drawing board, and we perfect it, you know what I mean?
“It was a lot of mistakes … but we got the win, and we move forward.”
Huseyin Cinkara receives medical attention after the fight.Credit: Getty Images
Cinkara, at one point a 29-1 outsider, defied everyone’s expectations by lasting as long as he did. He proved an awkward opponent and had his moments, particularly in round two, but there was no getting up after the sledgehammer blow he took in the eighth.
“I came here for war, I was prepared,” Cinkara said after he had regained consciousness.
“We both went to war, and we had a great fight, but there’s a reason why he’s the number one cruiserweight in the world. I’ve got no doubt that he’s gonna take all the belts.”
That’s a task that is proving difficult for Opetaia because the other belt holders simply don’t want to face him.
Jai Opetaia and Huseyin Cinkara after their fight on the Gold Coast.Credit: Getty Images
Ramirez again recently dodged him to take a lucrative fight against big-name light-heavyweight David Benavidez.
“The fight that he wants is Zurdo Ramirez,” said Opetaia’s manager Mick Francis.
“Now, Zurdo Ramirez has gone around saying he doesn’t even know who Jai is, which is a load of crap.
“Jai’s been calling this guy out; we’ve been calling this guy up for over a year now, so about the time he grabs the nuts and takes on Jai Opetaia.”
Many in boxing circles are aware of Opetaia’s status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, although he operates in relative obscurity in his native Australia. His handlers are hoping that will now change after his devastating knockout of Cinkara.
“[Cinkara] was awkward, Jai made it tough for himself, but it just goes to show he’s the most feared fighter in the world,” Francis said. “Not just at cruiserweight, but [the most feared] fighter in the world. That’s exactly what we’ve come to see, and that’s what we got.”
