Australian IBF cruiserweight boss Jai Opetaia barely cracked a smile after turning Huseyin Cinkara into a statue. Typical Opetaia. Drops one of the filthiest knockouts of the year, then slags himself off like he just had a shocker at the local amateur club.
Opetaia was staggered and cut under his right eye in the second round by a big right-hand shot by Cinkara. That was a shaky round for the 30-year-old Opetaia.
The Gold Coast Convention Centre was rocking when the German-based challenger clipped Opetaia early. Proper tidy shot, had the champ blinking for a second. But once Opetaia settled, he started tearing through Cinkara. Then, in round eight, he detonated a left hand that went straight through Cinkara’s guard like it wasn’t even there. Bang. Lights out. Cinkara was out cold before he touched the deck.
There were worrying scenes straight after. Cinkara, 40 years old and tough as old boots, lay motionless for several minutes as the crowd went silent. Eventually, he came around, sat up on the stool, still dazed, while everyone tried to steady the mood.
Opetaia Didn’t Hold Back… On Himself
It wasn’t the outstanding performance from Opetaia that we’d seen from him in some of his past performances. It was a slower, easier-to-hit version of Jai, with him slowly breaking the 40-year-old Cinkara down with heavy shots, but getting hit in return.
Whether that’s a sign that Opetaia is starting to show his age as he nears 30 is unknown at this point. What’s clear is that this wasn’t the A-level version of that had beaten Mairis Briedis in their first fight.
After moving to 29-0 (23 KOs), Opetaia didn’t bother dressing it up. He grabbed the mic and said it straight:
“I feel like I just fought like s—, to be honest… I made a lot of mistakes, I’m so pissed off.”
That’s the thing with him. The bloke can level someone with a single shot and still walk back complaining like he lost his phone in the taxi. Brutal operator, brutal self-critic.
The Undercard Had Some Chaos Too
The co-main saw 21-year-old Max McIntyre keep his hype train rolling, stopping Jed Morris in round four to push himself to 9-0. Kid looks ice cold for his age.
Earlier, heavyweight Teremoana Teremoana did what he does – another first-round demolition, his fourth straight. Blink, and you miss him. Mexico’s German Garcia Montes didn’t stand a chance.
Jason Moloney, the former bantamweight world champ, got himself a much-needed win against Herlan Gomez and finally snapped a nearly two-year drought. Good to see him back in rhythm.