Boxing Updates: Jai Opetaia’s Team Breaks Silence on Any Boxer Being Dropped During Sparring Session Against Tyson Fury

‘The Ring of Fire’ Card is already making headlines. In the latest updates, a clarification has emerged from Jai Opetaia’s team regarding reports of the cruiserweight dropping Tyson Fury in a sparring session.

On the 17t’h of February, a historic clash will take its course at the Kingdom Arena of Riyadh in which WBA, WBO, and IBF titlist Oleksandr Usyk and WBC champ, Fury will face off against each other to determine who among them will emerge undisputed. After 25 years, the heavyweight class gets its undisputed champion. With so much at stake, ‘The Gypsy King’ leaves no stone unturned in preparations for the fight. In this pursuit, he undertook a sparring session with Opetaia. However, the effort to season both the fighters turned sour with reports suggesting that the latter dropped Fury in the session. Did these reports hold any ounce of truth? Opetaia’s team clarifies.

Who Dropped Whom?

The answer is nobody. Tasman Fighters, the Australian promotions company that promotes the 28-year-old Opetaia released a statement on their X, refuting reports of their fighter dropping Tyson Fury. Not just that, they also univocally claimed that Fury too did not drop the Australian fighter. In their “Latest on World Cruiserweight champion  @jaiopetaia1..” they wrote, “Jai Opetaia has recently returned from Saudi Arabia where he sparred and trained with Tyson Fury. They were fantastic, competitive rounds and incredible experience for Jai. However any talk of either boxer being dropped is not true. Jai is now back in Australia finalizing his preparation to defend his world title and cannot wait to do so in Saudi Arabia.”

Opetaia is also stacked on the same card as Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury and will have his rematch against Mairis Briedis. To prep for that clash, he looked for a sparring partner who would bring the orthodox stance against his southpaw stance. Fury, a world-renowned hard-beater who also happens to be an orthodox, aka left-hand, left-foot forward fighter seemed the ideal partner. However, at the end of their session, it was reported that the match was not ideal for Opetaia, resulting him in walking out of the venue. From then began an entire fiasco discussing who dropped whom. 

Jai Opetaia leaves sparring session with Tyson Fury

It was first reported by Ben Damon, a Fox Australia broadcaster that Opetaia, who defeated Ellis Zoro via KO in 2023 had left his sparring session with Gypsy King just after five rounds. In a social media post, Damon noted, “Jai Opetaia did five rounds of sparring with Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia but, with a lack of orthodox sparring in Fury’s camp, Opetaia has now returned to Australia to continue his own preparations for the planned Mairis Briedis rematch at #FuryUsyk.” 

There has been no clarification from Fury’s side. However, Opetaia’s team has set the record straight. The fighter’s rematch against Briedis will be for the vacant IBF title and it comes two years after the latter lost at their initial confrontation in the ring. Their fight at the Kingdom Arena will spark their much-anticipated competition.

Also Read: Boxing Promoter Names Tyson Fury “The Man to Beat” While Roping in Anthony Joshua Ahead of Oleksandr Usyk Fight

Who do you think Tyson Fury should spar with ahead of his Oleksandr Usyk clash? Let us know in the comments section below.

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