A world champion finally makes his maiden defence while an untested contender receives an unlikely title shot when Jai Opetaia defends the IBF and Ring cruiserweight championships against Jordan Thompson at the OVO Arena Wembley in London on September 30. The 12-round bout, plus undercard action, will be broadcast by DAZN in the U.S. and the U.K. and by Fox Sports and Kayo in Australia.
WATCH: Jai Opetaia vs. Jordan Thompson, live on DAZN
Winning a world title should trigger party time for any professional fighter. However, that wasn’t the case for Australian boxer-puncher Opetaia (22-0, 17 KOs), who scored a career-defining triumph over three-time champion Mairis Briedis in July of last year. Despite the epic unanimous decision win, Opetaia sustained a badly broken jaw in the bout and was on the operating table just hours after the decision had been announced.
Following a period of recovery, boxing politics further stunted Opetaia’s momentum. A bout against the then-IBF’s No. 1 challenger Mateusz Masternak came to nothing, and then power-puncher Richard Riakporhe withdrew from purse bids just hours before they were scheduled to take place.
The beneficiary of all this craziness is Thompson, who brings a 15-0 (12 KOs) record and an IBF No. 5 rating to the party. The London-based challenger has never competed at this level, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t compete once he gets there. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for the 6-6 Englishman and his motivation will be sky-high.
The Sporting News now looks into the betting for this cruiserweight world title bout and predicts the outcome:
Jai Opetaia vs Jordan Thompson betting odds
Per BetMGM, Opetaia is the -450 favourite, while Thompson is the +300 underdog.
Jai Opetaia vs Jordan Thompson betting trends???
The Sporting News will provide betting trends when they become available.
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Jai Opetaia vs Jordan Thompson prediction, best bets
On paper, Opetaia should smoke Thompson’s boots and leave the arena without even needing a shower. However, where’s the fun in placing a flutter on a prohibitive favourite?
Thompson has a few things going for him here. Firstly, he’s unbeaten through a six-and-a-half-year professional career and doesn’t know how to lose. Secondly, he has a four-inch height advantage, which should also translate into a legitimate edge in reach (his official wingspan is unknown).
The other good news for Thompson is that he has home advantage as challenger and that is a rarity. If he can get off to a good start, then his home support is sure to rally behind him and get him through the expected rough patches. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime and Thompson will surely give it his all.
Opetaia has had a discouraging beginning to his championship career. The jaw injury would have been worth it because he fulfilled a dream by dethroning Briedis last year. However, the Australian may struggle to find the requisite motivation against an undistinguished challenger.
It does fall into the category of “fun bet”, but a small wager on Thompson pulling off a Cinderella story on Saturday might be worth it. After all, how many of us expected Opetaia to defeat Briedis?
Sporting News prediction: Thompson wins (Per BetMGM: +300/ Per SkyBet: +400)
