Jai Opetaia asks Chris Billam-Smith for playing the duck, offering $250,000 to fight.
Ring magazine cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Ring Magazine and IBF cruiserweight champion, Jai Opetaia (25-0, 19 KOs) provided a scathing examination of why a fight to unify WBO Chris Billam-Smith's title fell through.
The 29-year-old Australian has made it clear that he wants all the belts since he overcame two broken jaws to dethrone Ring champion Mairis Briedis (28-3, 20 KOs) by unanimous decision two years ago.
England's Billam-Smith, 33, won the WBO belt with a majority decision victory over Lawrence Okolie (20-1, 15 KOs) in a bad fight in May last year. He has since spoken about his desire for unification fights, including Opetaia most recently in early June, but recent reports have linked him to a fight with WBA titleholder Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs).
It left Opetaia in a state of frustration as she continued to search for a suitable dance partner who could express her greatness.
Opetaia did not sound optimistic during a ringside interview on Thursday night during DAZN's coverage of Justis Huni's fight with Troy Pilcher in Brisbane regarding the potential of the Billam-Smith fight. He even donated $250,000 of his own money to Billam-Smith to fight.
“I'm ready for that fight,” said Opetaia.
“They have been walking around saying they are waiting for talks with the trash. It's crazy. He doesn't want that fight.
“It's easy to do. He would get the biggest salary ever. He will be on the biggest stage he has ever been on. It makes no sense to take it, but the only reason is that they wouldn't take it if they ducked.
“The gift is there, we have released it. If he doesn't take it, he is wasting the war.”
Opetaia's manager, Mick Francis, is also surprised by Billam-Smith's apparent reluctance to face his hero.
“Jai wants to get this fight done more than anything else,” said Francis.
“But we have heard nothing except crickets since the request was passed. It appears that Billam-Smith may be looking to travel to America to fight for his position. Ben Shalom's boxers have a history of beating Jai, so we're not surprised.
“Jai wants to fight the best and Chris makes excuses for wanting boxing in America. This narrative started in the post-fight debate after beating Richard Riakporhe and has not stopped.”
A few days after defending his title against Riakporhe (17-1, 13 KOs) earlier last month, Billam-Smith made all the right noises when asked about the Opetaia matchup, but with one caveat – the Aussie will need to start additional hardware. .
“I think it's the biggest fight in this division right now,” Billam-Smith told Sky Sports. “It would be good to do that fight. It would be amazing if we could make a world title that nobody holds, in all four belts.
“I think that's a big one. I have a job to do, but at the bottom, of course, it's a big fight and the biggest fight in the division.
“He ticks a lot of boxes; he has good footwork, really good timing, good speed, good shot selection there. He's tough too, obviously – you've seen him fight with a broken jaw.
“He's a really good fighter and, like I said, he ticks a lot of boxes. So it would be good if we can fight down the line.”
Opetaia is keen to return to the ring following his second points win over Latvian veteran Briedis in Saudi Arabia in May.
Speaking immediately after the fight, Opetaia made it clear who he wants to be his next opponent.
“I want the next WBO,” he said. “I want the winner Chris Billam-Smith once [Richard Riakporhe]and after that we will collect the rest.”
So far, that attack is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Jai Opetaia: The Fighting Fisherman
Australian-based boxing journalist Anthony Cocks has been covering the sport for over 20 years for various publications and online publications.
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