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Jai Opetaia to Defend Cruiserweight Crowns Against Claudio Squeo on June 8

He has honed his training to neutralize Squeo’s power shots ahead of a planned unification clash with Gilberto Ramirez.

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Overview

  • Jai Opetaia (27-0, 21 KOs) will make a voluntary defense of his IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles against undefeated Italian challenger Claudio Squeo (17-0, 9 KOs) on June 8 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
  • Claudio Squeo enters his first world title opportunity after fighting just once in 20 months and has never competed outside Italy, bringing relentless inside pressure to the bout.
  • The champion postponed the originally scheduled May 13 fight after sustaining a minor training injury and has since returned to full health ahead of fight week.
  • Opetaia’s camp has emphasized sparring with shorter, heavy-hitting partners to sharpen his patience and counterpunching against Squeo’s anticipated aggressive style.
  • After retaining his crowns, Opetaia aims to challenge Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez for the WBA and WBO belts this fall.