Bookmakers made Jai Opetaia a big favourite against Mairis Briedis when they square off in their contest on Saturday 18th May 2024 at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He is currently 4/25 (-630) to win the contest outright, while you can get 4/1 (+400) on Mairis Briedis if you fancy the big upset.
That means that oddsmakers think there is 82% chance of Opetaia winning while giving Briedis a 18% chance.
Opetaia opened as the favourite at 1/6 (-590).
Briedis opened at 4/1 (+400).
The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds in the Cruiserweight division, which means both fighters will have to make the weight limit of 200 pounds (14 stones or 90.91 KG) on the day of the weigh-in.
This contest is for the unified cruiserweight championship of the world, with the IBF & The Ring belts on the line.
Opetaia vs Briedis II Head To Head
Jai Opetaia steps into the ring with an undefeated record of 24 wins, zero loses and 0 draws, 19 of those wins coming by the way of knock out.
Mairis Briedis will make his way to the ring with a record of 28 wins, 2 loses and 0 draws, with 20 of those wins by knock out.
The stats suggest Opetaia has a slight advantage in power over Briedis, with a 79% knock out percentage over Briedis' 71%.
Jai Opetaia is the younger man by 11 years, at 28 years old.
Opetaia has a height advantage of 2 inches over Briedis. This also extends to a 1-inch reach advantage.
Jai Opetaia fights out of the southpaw stance, while Mairis Briedis is an orthodox fighter.
Opetaia is the less experienced professional fighter, having had 6 less fights, and made his debut in 2015, 5 year and 9 months later than Briedis, whose first professional fight was in 2009. He has fought 65 less professional rounds, 102 to Briedis' 167.
Jai Opetaia goes into the fight ranked number 4 by the IBF at cruiserweight.
Mairis Briedis is currently ranked number 3 by the IBF and 1 by the RING in the 200lb division.
Opetaia vs Briedis II betting form
Opetaia remains undefeated as a professional, stopping 4 of his last 5 opponents.
In his last fight, he won against Ellis Zorro on 23rd December 2023 by knockout in the 1st round in their The Ring Cruiserweight championship fight at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was a 1/25 (-2500) favourite going into the ring.
Previous to that, he had won against Jordan Thompson on 30th September 2023 by technical knockout in the 4th round in their IBF World Cruiserweight and The Ring Cruiserweight championship fight at Wembley Arena, Wembley, United Kingdom. He was a 4/25 (-630) favourite going into the ring.
Going into that contest, he had beat Mairis Briedis on 2nd July 2022 by unanimous decision in their IBF World Cruiserweight and The Ring Cruiserweight championship fight at Gold Coast Convention Centre, Queensland, Australia. He was a 8/5 (+160) underdog going into the ring.
Before that, he had defeated Daniel Russell on 4th December 2021 by technical knockout in the 3rd round at Fortitude Music Hall, Queensland.
He had won against Benjamin Kelleher on 22nd October 2020 by technical knockout in the 6th round at Fortitude Music Hall, Queensland.
Briedis has beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance twice.
In his last fight, he lost to Jai Opetaia on 2nd July 2022 by unanimous decision in their IBF World Cruiserweight and The Ring Cruiserweight championship fight at Gold Coast Convention Centre, Queensland, Australia. He was a 51/100 (-200) favourite going into the contest.
Previous to that, he had defeated Artur Mann on 16th October 2021 by technical knockout in the 3rd round in their IBF World Cruiserweight championship fight at Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia.
Going into that contest, he had beat Yuniel Dorticos on 26th September 2020 by majority decision in their IBF World Cruiserweight and The Ring Cruiserweight championship fight at Plazamedia Broadcasting Center, Munich, Germany. He was a 11/20 (-180) favourite going into the contest.
Before that, he had won against Krzysztof Glowacki on 15th June 2019 by technical knockout in the 3rd round in their WBO World Cruiserweight championship fight at Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia. He was a 11/25 (-230) favourite going into the contest.
He had beat Noel ‘Gevor’ Mikaelian on 10th November 2018 by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at UIC Pavilion, Illinois, United States. He was a 3/50 (-1700) favourite going into the contest.
Who's been more active?
If you think ring rust and activity is a big factor in this fight, Jai Opetaia has been fighting more than Mairis Briedis.
Jai Opetaia last fought 4 months and 25 days ago, while Mairis Briedis' last outing was 1 year, 10 months and 16 days ago.
Opetaia's last 5 fights have come over a period of 3 years, 6 months and 26 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 8 months and 17 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 26 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 5.2 rounds on average.
Briedis' last 5 fights have come over a period of 5 years, 6 months and 8 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 1 year, 1 month and 7 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 42 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 8.4 rounds on average.
What’s the Latest Time I Can Bet on Opetaia vs Briedis Pre Fight?
The fighters are expected to ringwalk at around 9:00 PM UTC at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is 5:00 PM EST or 2:00 PM PST on the West Coast of America, or 10:00 PM BST in the UK.
Where Can I Watch Opetaia vs Briedis for In-Play Betting?
Opetaia vs Briedis II will be broadcast on DAZN PPV UK in the UK, while the fight will be broadcast in the United States by ESPN+ PPV.
