The cruiserweights have a visitor.
Oleksandr Usyk (25-0), the man who cleaned out the heavyweights, wants to drop back down for one final run at 200 lb. His advisor told The Ring's Mike Coppinger the big target is David Benavidez (32-0), the WBA and WBO champion. AAP reports the vacant IBF belt would come first.
Only one problem.
That IBF belt has a queue — and it runs through Queensland !
New Zealand's David Nyika, trained by Noel Thornberry in Gatton, is the IBF's No. 1. He was ordered to fight No. 2 Viddal Riley for the vacant title. That fight is now on hold.
Why? Jai Opetaia.
The Aussie was stripped by the IBF after his Zuffa Boxing debut, and he has taken them to court to get it back.
And here's the twist. Opetaia has wanted Usyk since the 2012 London Olympics, where both boxed and Jai was barely 17.
Fourteen years later, Usyk is finally heading to Jai's division… and the belt that could make it happen is stuck in a courtroom.
Team Nyika isn't waiting around. "I've reached out to Usyk's management, they know we're certainly interested," Thornberry told AAP. Nyika, he says, would take it "in a heartbeat".
And a little warning for the great man: "Historically, no-one goes well when they come back in weight."
Meanwhile Opetaia is eyeing a heavyweight cameo against Deontay Wilder next month, with a possible Benavidez unification next May. Benavidez first meets WBC champion Michal Cieslak on December 5.
Usyk. Opetaia. Benavidez. Nyika.
One division. Somebody is getting squeezed.
Stay tuned !
🇺🇦 USYK · 🇳🇿 NYIKA · 🇦🇺 OPETAIA · 🇲🇽🇺🇸 BENAVIDEZ
🥊 Cruiserweight | 200 lb
#Usyk #Opetaia #Nyika #Benavidez #Cruiserweight #VSPPromotions
Bacolod's Genesis Servania will fight China's rising star Aketelieti Yelejian for the WBO Asia Lightweight title this November.
The highly-anticipated match up will take place on the undercard of the IBF world title fight between Pedro Taduran and Zhu DianXing at Jeju Island, South Korea.
Aketelieti Yelejian, who suffered a narrow loss to the Prince Albert Pagara in June, rebounded with an impressive IBF Asia victory against Korean Jin Su Kim in Vietnam recently. He is a very rangy and deceptive boxer known for his relaxed combinations, and he's supremely confident in his ability to take down Servania and claim the title.
"I've studied Servania's style, and I know I have the skills to outmaneuver him," Yelejian said yesterday.
"I'm excited to represent China on the international stage once more, and bring home an impressive win against a top and proven boxer like Genesis."
Servania, a seasoned veteran with a 35-4 record, boasts a reputation for toughness that has come from battles at the top level. And has still possesses some of the best body shots in the sport of boxing.
This important title shot gives the filipino the opportunity to re-establish himself on the world scene once more, and it's best remembered that his only defeats have came against world-ranked champions like Oscar Valdez and Andres Cortes.
But the China team have already confidently stated that Yelejian's youth, speed, height, and reach may all prove too much for the Filipino boxer.
Their optimism also exudes for the world title bout, where surprisingly, they are quite dismissive of Pedro Taduran's hopes of beating star Zhu DianXing. They actually rate their boxer so highly, they have predicted that the champion has no chance of retaining the belt.
These claims set up an intriguing backdrop for two massive Philippines v China feature bouts.
Fight Details :
- Date: Saturday, November 23rd
- Location: Jeju Island, South Korea
- Title: WBO Asia Lightweight
- Contenders: Aketelieti Yelejian (China) vs. Genesis Servania (Philippines)
