Australian cruiserweight king Jai Opetaia has urged David Light to go win himself the WBO world title this weekend, revealing the Trans Tasman rivals then have “unfinished business”.
Ranked among New Zealand’s most exciting fighters, Light is set to challenge WBO cruiserweight champ Lawrence Okolie in the UK this Sunday morning (AEST).
Despite being a $6.50 TAB outsider for the Manchester headliner, the 31-year-old Aucklander is convinced he can continue a run that has already seen him go unbeaten in all 20 fights as a professional.
And one man cheering the upset will be Opetaia, the reigning IBF world champ.
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Speaking this week, the Central Coast product revealed he and Light have already fought twice as amateurs – with the Kiwi dishing out his last ever loss on Australian soil.
Opetaia added, however, that he also then beat Light to secure a spot at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Only last week, the Aussie champ said he was keen to defend on home soil “as soon as possible” after a judge ruled in his favour regarding a dispute with his former promoter.
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While politely declining any more talk on his legal issues, Opetaia confirmed he was ready for a blockbuster second half of the year that could include title fights against both Masternak and Light.
The 27-year-old said that should Light cause a boilover in England this weekend, he would then love to stage a Trans Tasman blockbuster to unify the titles after completing his mandatory.
“Me and David Light, we’ve actually got some unfinished business,” Opetaia revealed.
“David Light gave me my last loss in Australia, in the amateurs.
“Then I beat him to go to the Olympic games. So we’ve got one and one.
“So a decider, it would be a big fight.
“And I’m ready.”
While the New Zealander goes into the Okolie showdown as a heavy underdog, Opetaia warned it was the same for him on the night he now famously took the IBF title from Mairis Briedis despite fighting with a severly broken jaw.
“Man, I think David Light has got a good chance,” the Aussie said.
“In Australia and New Zealand, (fighters) get put in the same box; ‘Oh, they’re tough but they haven’t got that international experience’ and stuff like that.
“And, yeah, we might be lacking it a bit.
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t win these fights.
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“We just have to back ourselves and believe in ourselves.
“And I feel like David Light is going to give (Okolie) a real hard time in the office.
“And I do hope he wins so then we can fight in Australia.
“A classic Australia versus New Zealand, with the Samoan heritage. It’s perfect.
“Down in this neck of the woods.
“It’s showing them that not only Australians, but our brothers in arms from New Zealand also have got that power. To have a unification fight would be huge.”
Light is certainly no stranger to an upset, having done exactly that only last December to secure his world title shot – when he travelled Stateside to beat Californian Brandon Glanton by split decision.
“So we don’t know everything that is going to happen,” the Kiwi said this week of his underdog status.
“A fight is chaos. That’s why we love watching it.
“People with resilience, they get through it. They adapt and come through.
“If you’ve got a strong mind and a strong heart you’re going to make it happen.”
Asked about Okolie also having a significant height and reach advantage, Light added: “We’re not reinventing the wheel.
“We’ve been sparring guys who have a much greater reach than me, so it’s just about being sharp and attuned to those things which is what I’ve done.”
Okolie, meanwhile, suggested Sunday’s bout was set to render one of the two men “irrelevant”.
“He’s coming to win,” the champion said of Light. “It sets you up for a lot of openings.
“(But) You don’t get to this position overlooking people ever.”
So as for his favouritism?
“It’s a nice safe place to hide behind — being the underdog,” Okolie continued.
“When I see him I know what he really is.
“I’m prepared for what he may bring and will do what I need to do.
“I am going to be from round one matching him and overmatching him for pressure and power.
“One of us is going to win and the other one’s going to become irrelevant.
“So I’m looking forward to it.”