GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA — Jai Opetaia kept his unification dreams intact, but not without turbulence. The undefeated Ring and IBF cruiserweight champion overcame serious early adversity before knocking out Huseyin Cinkara in the eighth round on Saturday night, closing out a tougher-than-expected assignment on the Gold Coast.
Opetaia entered 2025 riding dominant wins over David Nyika and Claudio Squeo, bouts that lasted a combined nine rounds. Cinkara, awkward, upright, durable, and packing legitimate power, proved a far stiffer test. From the opening bell, it was clear the German wasn’t going to fold under early pressure the way so many recent Opetaia opponents have.