Overview
- Opetaia ended previously unbeaten Huseyin Cinkara with a short left hook at 0:56 of the eighth round on the Gold Coast, with medics attending before Cinkara regained consciousness.
- The champion overcame a second‑round scare that left his right eye swollen and later described his showing as a bad night despite the emphatic finish.
- The victory improved Opetaia’s record to 29-0 and preserved his IBF and The Ring cruiserweight belts as he pursues full unification.
- Cinkara’s translator said the fighter suffered a brain bruise and a fractured T1 vertebra and would remain under observation for two to three days.
- Opetaia’s team is pressing for unification, though WBO/WBA holder Gilberto Ramirez is slated to defend against David Benavidez in May and WBC champion Badou Jack faces Noel Mikaelian on December 13.