Boxing
Cruiserweight champion struggling to make Chris Billam-Smith unification clash
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Jai Opetaia’s hopes of facing Chris Billam-Smith are taking a beating as he waits for negotiations to succeed.
Opetaia is the IBF cruiserweight champion, while Billam-Smith holds the WBO strap.
Rumours suggest there is an offer for a unification fight in Saudi Arabia, and both men are coming off wins this year.
Billam-Smith defeated Richard Riakporhe in June, and Opetaia defeated Mairis Breidis in May.
However, a 2024 clash between the pair is no closer, according to the 25-year-old Australian.
“I’ve been chasing the WBO for quite a while,” Opetaia told BoxingScene.
“It’s pretty obvious he doesn’t want to fight so we’ve just got to move on to the next person, I guess.
“I can only do so much, so now I’m going to fight whoever they put in front of me, really.
“The fight’s there. The fight is there to be made. There’s nothing stopping it, except their decision. It’s the biggest paycheck he’ll get.
“I don’t know. I can only do so much. As much as I talk about it, I’m not even trying to say he’s an easy fight or he’s a walk in the park or anything like that. I just want the fight to happen.
“I want to fight for the WBO. I want that belt around my waist and so I’ve just been trying to make sure it happens, but I can only do so much.”
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