Opetaia demolishes Squeo in 5th round, retains cruiserweight title
Once again calls for unification showdown against 'Zurdo' Ramirez
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Lineal/IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia easily smashed his way through gargantuan underdog Claudio Squeo, scoring a one-sided fifth-round knockout in the main event of the Tasman Fighters card on DAZN on Sunday at the Gold Coast Convention Centre before a home region crowd in Broadbeach, Australia.
And then Opetaia picked up where he left off after his previous fight — calling for a unification fight with WBO/WBA titlist Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.
Opetaia retained the lineal title for the sixth time and did so in the same arena where he bravely outpointed Mairis Briedis despite a broken jaw in their first fight in 2022. He also retained the IBF belt for the third time in his second reign and made it look very easy against the game but entirely overmatched and much smaller Squeo.
“I was just in a rush,” Opetaia said. “I really wanted to get him out of there. I’m chasing these unification fights and it’s frustrating.
“We did what we had to do. We got a lot more to go. I’m chasing these unification fights. I’m chasing these world champions and that’s where I’m focused. I want to say a massive thank you to Squeo for coming all the way out here.”