IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia outweighed his smaller challenger #14 Claudi Squeo by eight lbs at Saturday’s weigh-in for their 12-round headliner this Sunday, June 8th, at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Australia.
Opetaia vs. Squeo: Weigh-in Results
The size difference between the 6’1″ Opetaia (27-0, 21 KOs) and the 5’10” Squeo (17-0, 9 KOs) was plain to see. It looked like Jai was standing in front of a light heavyweight during their face-off at today’s weight.
Opetaia had a look of embarrassment and shame in his eyes during the face-off. You could tell that he doesn’t seem as motivated about this fight as he has in his past fights.
There are already boxing fans complaining that this fight is a mismatch in favor of Opetaia, but today, it was highlighted. The Italian ‘Red Bull’ Squeo, 34, looked small and out of place.
DAZN Official weights
– Jai Opetaia: 199.4 vs. Claudio Squeo: 191.2
Opetaia’s Frustration: Finding Worthy Opponents
After the weigh-in, Opetaia complained about how tough it is for him to get opponents to fight him. He assumed that when he captured the IBF cruiserweight title in 2024, it would be easy to get unification fights and big-name contenders to face him. That hasn’t happened.
The two other cruiserweight champions, Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and Badou Jack, haven’t been in a big rush to fight him. It’s obvious why. Without the mega-millions being offered, it’s not worth it for Ramirez or Badou to fight Opetaia because they would essentially be handing over their titles to him.
Neither of those two belt-holders would have much chance against Opetaia. So, it’s not worth it for them to face him unless Turki Alalashikh offers them a ton of money to take the fights.
Jai’s Motivation: World Title at Stake
“He’s a pretty quiet dude. He’s a respectful dude, and he’s just here to have a good fight and go home,” said Jai Opetaia to Jai McAllister Boxing about what he saw in the weigh-in face-off with Claudio Squeo. “Definitely, but all these fights are dangerous. Every time I step in the ring and put my world title on the line, it’s dangerous, especially against these guys that have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
Surely, Squeo can’t be the best that Jai’s promoters could dig up for him to fight. They may not have realized how little interest fans would have in this fight. You can blindly pick from anyone in the top 15 at cruiserweight and find a better opponent than Squeo.
“He’s [Squeo] a little bomber who comes forward. He wants to make it ugly. They’re all dangerous fights,” said Opetaia. “We got to take it serious. Like I said, my world title is on the line. This is serious stuff for us. Without these world titles, nothing else happens. It’s hard enough to get fights with these world titles.”
Last Updated on 06/07/2025
