Aussie star Jai Opetaia becomes a two-time world champion as he beats Mairis Briedis again in a cruiserweight classic to keep his unbeaten record

Australian cruiserweight Jai Opetaia beat Mairis Briedis for the second time to regain the IBF world title in Saudi Arabia in the co-main event for Tyson Fury’s heavyweight fight with Oleksandr Usyk. 

Opetaia beat Briedis via a close points decision back in 2022 to win the IBF title for the first time, despite suffering a broken jaw during the fight.

But he vacated his belt back in December after deciding to face Britain’s Ellis Zorro instead of his mandatory challenger Briedis. 

They did finally meet again in Riyadh on Saturday night and Opetaia was the aggressor from the outset, but there was little to split the pair early on.

However, Opetaia started to take over as the fight entered the middle rounds, and he bloodied the nose of his experience Latvian opponent in the sixth round after landing a series of straight left hands from his southpaw stance.

Briedis, 39, fighting for the first time since losing to Opetaia two years ago, continued to remain a threat and started to come on strong as he pushed his rival back against the ropes in the 11th round. 

He was also on top in the 12th, and as the final bell rang, it was difficult to predict who would get their hand raised.

However, the cards were slightly wider than expected, with Opetaia taking a unanimous verdict, with two judges scoring the fight 116-112 and another giving it to Opetaia 117-111. 

More to follow…