Opetaia vs Zorro

Who won Opetaia vs Zorro?

Jai Opetaia beat Ellis Zorro by knockout in the 1st round on Saturday, December 23rd, 2023, at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Cruiserweight division, which meant the weight limit was 200 pounds (14.3 stone or 90.7 kg).

This contest was for the The Ring cruiserweight championship of the world.

This fight appeared on the undercard of Anthony Joshua beating Otto Wallin. Also on the undercard Deontay Wilder lost to Joseph Parker, Dmitry Bivol defeated Lyndon Arthur for the WBA Super World Light Heavyweight title, Daniel Dubois was victorious over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic beat Mark de Mori, Frank Sanchez defeated Junior Fa, and Arslanbek Makhmudov was defeated by Agit Kabayel.

Opetaia vs Zorro stats

Back in December 2023, Jai Opetaia stepped into the ring with an undefeated record of 23 wins, zero losses, and 0 draws.

Ellis Zorro made his way to the ring with an unblemished record of 17 wins and 0 draws.

Jai Opetaia was the younger man by 3 years, at 29 years old.

Zorro had a height advantage of 1 inch over Opetaia. Despite this, he had a 1-inch reach advantage.

Jai Opetaia fought out of the southpaw stance, while Ellis Zorro was an orthodox fighter.

Opetaia was the more experienced professional fighter, having had 6 more fights, and made his debut in 2015, 2 years and 4 months earlier than Zorro, whose first professional fight was in 2017. He had fought 41 more professional rounds, totaling 120 compared to Zorro's 79.

Ellis Zorro was ranked number 11 by the WBA in the 200lb division.

Opetaia vs Zorro form

Opetaia remained undefeated as a professional, stopping 4 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight before this contest, he had won against Jordan Thompson on September 30, 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.

Prior to that, he had won against Mairis Briedis on July 2, 2022, by unanimous decision in their IBF World Cruiserweight and The Ring Cruiserweight championship fight at Gold Coast Convention Centre, Queensland, Australia.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Daniel Russell on December 4, 2021, by technical knockout in the 3rd round at Fortitude Music Hall, Queensland.

Before that, he had defeated Benjamin Kelleher on October 22, 2020, by technical knockout in the 6th round at Fortitude Music Hall, Queensland.

He had won against Mark Flanagan on November 16, 2019, by technical knockout in the 8th round at Hordern Pavilion, New South Wales.

Zorro had won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 1 of them, going the distance 4 times.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had defeated Luca D’Ortenzi on October 6, 2023, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at York Hall, Bethnal Green, United Kingdom.

Prior to that, he had defeated Hosea Burton on May 12, 2023, by technical knockout in the 7th round at York Hall, London.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Dec Spelman on September 16, 2022, by points in the 8th round at York Hall, Bethnal Green.

Before that, he had won against James Farrell on May 14, 2022, by points in the 3rd round at Victoria Warehouse, Trafford Road, Lancashire.

He had beaten Ricky Reeves on May 14, 2022, by unanimous decision in their 3 round contest at Victoria Warehouse, Trafford Road, Lancashire.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Ellis Zorro had been fighting more than Jai Opetaia.

Going into this contest, Jai Opetaia had last fought 2 months and 23 days ago, while Ellis Zorro's last outing had been 2 months and 17 days ago.

Opetaia's last 5 fights had come over a period of 4 years, 1 month and 7 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 9 months and 26 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 33 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.6 rounds on average.

Zorro's last 5 fights had come over a period of 1 year, 7 months and 9 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 3 months and 27 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 31 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.2 rounds on average.

What time did Opetaia vs Zorro start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 5:30 PM UTC at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which was 12:30 PM EST or 9:30 AM PST on the West Coast of America, or 5:30 PM GMT in the UK.

Who broadcast Opetaia vs Zorro?

Opetaia vs Zorro was broadcast on DAZN PPV in both the United States and the UK.

What were the odds on Opetaia vs Zorro?

Jai Opetaia was a 1/25 (-2500) favorite going into the contest, while Ellis Zorro made his way into the ring at 12/1 (+1200) with oddsmakers.