GOLD COAST, Australia -- The next time Jai Opetaia steps into a boxing ring, he should be squaring off against Mexican star Gilberto Ramírez in a cruiserweight unification fight.
The 29-year-old Australian made light work of Italian challenger Claudio Squeo on Sunday evening at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre, battering and bruising him for four and a half rounds. It ended with Opetaia landing a nasty right hook that broke Squeo's jaw, dropped him to his knees, and gave referee Robert Hoyle no choice but to call off the one-sided fight.
"I was in a rush, I really wanted to get him out of there," said Opetaia, immediately after the fight. "We did what we had to do [and] we've got a lot more to go. I'm chasing these unification fights and it's frustrating."
Squeo weighed in almost four kilograms lighter than Opetaia on Saturday afternoon at Pacific Fair, and the size, and height difference, was stark from the outset. It took Opetaia a round to feel out his opponent's style, before he began upping the ante and using him as his personal punching bag.
This was the sixth time Opetaia successfully defended his IBF and The Ring world championships, extending his unbeaten run to 28 fights and, once again, proving he is worthy of a shot at adding to his collection of cruiserweight belts.
Opetaia has long been vocal about his desire to fight Ramírez, who holds both the WBO and WBA straps. Their potential showdown has been rumored as a fight that could take place on the undercard of September's blockbuster fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford in Las Vegas, though nothing has been confirmed to date.
"I'm chasing these world champions, that's what I'm focused on," said Opetaia, when asked what's next on his agenda. "Next fight, Gilberto Ramírez. Let's get it on. I'm chasing the belts. The fight is easy to be made. Let's do it."
Ramírez is fighting Yuniel Dorticos later this month in Anaheim and it's difficult to see how a fight with Opetaia wouldn't go ahead if he were to prevail.
"Turki Al-Sheikh has been talking about this fight for quite a while," said Opetaia's manager, Mick Francis, when asked about a possible Opetaia-Ramírez battle. "But it's up to them, they need to say 'yes, we're here, we're ready, let's make it happen.'"
Here's how the fight night unfolded: