Jai Opetaia’s next fight will be decided one way or another.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that a November 21 purse bid hearing is scheduled for the ordered IBF (and lineal) cruiserweight championship rematch between Opetaia as the defending champ and former three-time titlist Mairis Briedis. The two sides did not reach terms during the negotiation period, which prompted the IBF to schedule a second purse bid for the day, along with the Jermell Charlo-Bakhram Murtazaliev junior middleweight championship.
The development comes as Sydney’s Opetaia (23-0, 17KOs) is heavily rumored to land on the undercard of the December 23 blockbuster event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An opponent was not attached to his potential placement on a show which Boxing Scene has confirmed at least bouts—Anthony Joshua-Otto Wallin, Deontay Wilder-Joseph Parker and Daniel Dubois-Jarrell Miller—along with at least two other slotted heavyweight fights.
Representatives from the respective teams for the pair of top cruiserweights did not immediately respond to inquiries seeking comment as this goes to publication.
Opetaia (23-0, 17KOs)—a 2012 Olympian for Australia at just 17—was the IBF mandatory challenger when he dethroned Latvia’s Briedis (28-2, 20KOs) last July 2 in Broadbeach, Australia. The 28-year-old southpaw has since defended his crown in a one-sided fourth-round knockout of unbeaten Jordan Thompson on September 30 at OVO Arena Wembley in London.
Briedis has not fought at all since his defeat to Opetaia. The setback ended his third title reign just inside of two years following his September 2020 decision win over Yuniel Dorticos.
The 38-year-old Latvian also held the WBC cruiserweight title which he eventually lost to Oleksandr Usyk during the first season of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS). He then won the WBO title in a wild third-round knockout of Krzysztof Glowacki in their June 2019 WBSS season two semifinal. The controversial nature of the bout prompted the WBO to order a rematch but Briedis vacated the title due to his commitment to face Dorticos in the WBSS finale.
Despite his inactivity, Briedis managed to elevate to the mandatory position by default.
The first title defense for Opetaia was to have been a mandated bout versus Poland’s Mateusz Masternak, who bailed shortly before a scheduled June 15 purse bid hearing. BOXXER-promoted Richard Riakporhe (16-0, 12KOs) pulled a similar disappearing act, as he was forced to withdraw the morning of a planned August 8 purse bid.
Riakporhe’s name has surfaced as a potential Opetaia opponent for the December 23 Riyadh show. However, it is highly doubtful that he will land the fight. The 33-year-old Londoner is due to face Dylan Bregeon this Saturday atop a Sky Sports show (also on the NBC Peacock app in the U.S.) from Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, England.
Additionally, IBF rules also state that any fighter who refuses to participate in an ordered fight will be demoted in the rankings and ineligible to participate in a sanctioned bout for a minimum of six months. That leaves Riakporhe on the outside looking in until next February. Briedis and the IBF would also have to agree to allow such a fight to happen; to date, there is no indication that Briedis plans to step aside in a bid to become a four-time cruiserweight champ.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox