Breaking down Creed III with world champion boxer Jai Opetaia

Sporting News Australia

Breaking down Creed III with world champion boxer Jai Opetaia image

Few sports have been celebrated in cinema quite like boxing.

For all its brutality, there is a romance to the sweet science and it's helped bring us classics like Raging Bull, the Rocky series and, more recently, Creed.

The third instalment of Creed hits theatres in Australia on Thursday, March 2 as Adonis Creed, the cinematic son of Apollo Creed, looks to cement his legacy.

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But how accurately do the filmmakers capture the struggles and triumphs of a boxer at the top of the sport?

To find out, we chatted to Jai Opetaia, IBF and Ring Magazine cruiserweight world champion.

Listen to Opetaia’s thoughts below.

“Some of these training videos bring back some bad memories,” Opetaia said.

“You’re doing things you hate for those results that you need.

“The long runs, the icebath… I’d rather do a two-hour session than sit in the icebath but it’s very important for that body recovery.”

Of course, there are some very Hollywood moments in the film, like Creed pulling a plane or punching a tree.

“As far as tying myself to a plane and running with that, I haven’t done that but I’d give it a go,” Opetaia said.

The film’s crescendo sees Creed and his on-screen rival Damien Anderson clash in a blockbuster title fight at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles.

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Opetaia gave us some insight into the mindset of a fighter in that situation.

“Walking out to a stadium like that, you’d be pumped, ready for war, but the slightest little shortcuts throughout their camp, walking out to that ring, that’s where they’re going to feel it,” he said.

“That’s where your preparations have got to be on point, so you can walk out ready for any situation.”

One thing Opetaia did note were the physiques of Creed and Anderson, i.e. muscles on muscles, to put it simply.

Ever the competitor, Australia’s only current male world champion was already sizing them up.

“I’ve been in the boxing game for that long that all that muscle stuff means nothing,” Opetaia said.

“That power can get you far but that boxing ability will get you even further.”

Several real-life professionals such as Tony Bellew and Andre Ward have featured in the Creed series so far.

Perhaps Opetaia will get his crack on the silver screen next?

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