Opetaia ‘top of queue’ to face Fury
Australia’s world champion Jai Opetaia has emerged as a contender to fight Tyson Fury as the British boxing megastar arrived in Brisbane on Thursday to begin talks on a $20m blockbuster bout at Suncorp Stadium.
Opetaia, Demsey McKean and Australia’s heavyweight golden boy Justis Huni are the three local frontline options for a heavyweight showdown with British legend Fury later this year. The world’s No.1 heavyweight Fury is keen to fight Down Under and is exploring possible venues at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium and Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium for the biggest bout in Australian boxing history.
A Fury debut in Australia, slated for August, would be worth more than $20m to the Queensland economy. Jeff Horn’s bout against Manny Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium in 2017 generated $16m.
Fury was in Melbourne on Wednesday night watching his good mate, Kiwi great Joseph Parker, score a first-round victory over Brisbane’s Faiga Opelu and the Gypsy King jetted into Brisbane on Thursday for a tour of Suncorp.
One proposed domestic rival is Opetaia, who entered Australian sporting folklore last July when he overcame a broken jaw to win the IBF cruiserweight world title.
Opetaia’s manager Mick Francis confirmed the parties will begin talks on the 27-yearold stepping up to heavyweight for the biggest fight of his career.
“Jai is certainly keen to fight Tyson Fury, 100 per cent,” Francis said. “To be honest, there’s only a handful of Australian guys who are capable of fighting Tyson and Jai is at the top of the queue.”