As Jai Opetaia prepares to defend his titles in Australia this weekend, questions on future clashes have dominated fight week.
The IBF and Ring champion faces Claudio Squeo in his first fight since a brutal knockout win over David Nyika.
However, questions surrounding potential unification bouts with Gilberto Ramirez have been rife this week.
‘Zurdo’ is the current WBO and WBA champion with a fight against Yuniel Dorticos scheduled for the undercard of Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
A fight between the pair has not been ruled out with Ramirez’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya saying he ‘could see’ a potential bout.
Jai Opetaia would ‘bash’ Jake Paul if they squared off
Ahead of his return to the Gold Coast, the undefeated star was asked about the rumoured clash.
Speaking to Ring Magazine, he understood why the 33-year-old eyes the fight.
He said: “I don’t know what he wants to do or what he’s trying to do… he’s chasing coin, you can’t knock him if he wants to fight Jake Paul for a huge lump sum of money, who’d turn that down?”
Opetaia was also keen to stress what he would do if given the opportunity to face the ‘Problem Child’.
“I’d bash out of Jake Paul for a couple mil, too,” he exclaimed. “So it is what it is.”
Three years removed from his breakout win over Mairis Briedis, the 29-year-old has not acquired any additional sanctioning body titles.
And now with his Mexican foe fighting in July and WBC champion Badou Jack ordered to rematch Noel Mikaelian, options are slim to become undisputed this year.
But it hasn’t soured the fighter’s belief, he said: “I’m chasing unification fights.
“I just believe I am the best in the division and I believe if I just keep winning, the money’s going to come anyway, so I just need the fights to happen.”
Jake Paul and his route to a potential world title fight
The possibility that the 28-year-old is close to a title shot would have seemed ludicrous when he debuted in 2020.
Although it is now closer to reality than ever, it would be one of the strangest routes to world honours.
Paul is currently 11-1 with seven knockouts but 42% of those fights came against competitors making their debut.
Additionally, 66.7% of those wins were over opponents from other disciplines including MMA, basketball, and YouTube.
| Jake Paul stats | |
|---|---|
| Total record | 11-1 |
| Wins by knockout | 7 |
| Fights against debut opponents | 42% of total fights |
| Wins over opponents from other sports | 66.7% of wins |
| Opponent backgrounds (non-boxers) | MMA, basketball, YouTube |
Notably, his one loss came against Tommy Fury in the most evenly matched fight of his career.
The win over 58-year-old Mike Tyson may have garnered the most attention, the actual contest resembled a sparring session.
Victory over Chavez Jr gives the Ohio boxer a chance to prove the doubters wrong and potentially capture a belt even if the odds are highly stacked against him.