Australia’s Jai Opetaia delivered a commanding performance on the Gold Coast, stopping Italy’s Luca Squeo in the fifth round to remain unbeaten with 28 victories. Opetaia, 29, showcased his power and precision, landing a clean uppercut in the third round before punishing Squeo with body shots and combinations. A crushing right hook to the jaw in the fifth round ended the contest, as Squeo took a knee and failed to recover.
Following the win, Opetaia renewed his call for a unification bout with Mexico’s Gilberto Ramirez, who currently holds the WBO and WBA cruiserweight belts. “We did what we had to do,” said Opetaia. “Gilberto Ramirez – next fight, let’s get it on. The fight is easy to be made.”
Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Junto Nakatani added the IBF bantamweight title to his WBC belt after defeating Ryosuke Nishida. The bout was stopped after six rounds due to an eye injury sustained by Nishida from Nakatani’s relentless assault. The 27-year-old Nakatani, now 31-0 with 24 knockouts, remains the top fighter in the division and is eyeing a monumental showdown. Ringside was fellow unbeaten Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs), setting the stage for what could become the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history. A potential Nakatani vs. Inoue clash in 2025 would feature two elite pound-for-pound talents in a battle for bantamweight supremacy.
