A dominant victory for cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia on the Gold Coast was overshadowed by a terrifying injury to his opponent, German fighter Huseyin Cinkara, who suffered a broken neck and brain bruising.
Serious Injuries Cast Shadow Over Title Defence
The incident occurred during the eighth round of their IBF and The Ring world title fight on Saturday night. Opetaia landed a devastating left hook that rendered Cinkara unconscious before he hit the canvas. The 40-year-old challenger broke his T1 vertebrae as he collided with the ring rope on his way down.
Cinkara's interpreter, Fidel Tukel, provided a medical update, stating the fighter had been cleared of paralysis and was expected to make a full recovery. "He is going to stay for two or three days, he has a brain bruise and a fractured vertebrae in the T1 region," Tukel explained. "He got hit hard, as soon as he got hit, he hit his head on the ropes right at the top of the vertebrae."
Tukel added that the hard ropes caused Cinkara to bounce before his head struck the floor. The interpreter also revealed the fighter's distress upon regaining consciousness, noting, "The poor bloke was freaking out, he can't speak English."
Opetaia's Fury Despite Knockout Win
Despite securing a knockout victory in his third title defence this year, Jai Opetaia was scathing in his self-assessment. The 30-year-old Australian, who is the nation's only current male boxing world champion, described his performance as "s**t" and was visibly angry post-fight.
"I fought like s**t, to be honest, but you get these nights," Opetaia said in the ring. "A lot of mistakes and I'm so p***ed off, but we got the win and we move forward." The undefeated champion also sustained a suspected broken eye socket during the bout.
The fight had a tense moment in the second round when Opetaia was wobbled by two sharp right hands from Cinkara, alarming the sold-out crowd at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. However, Opetaia recovered and controlled the contest before landing the fight-ending punch.
Unification Ambitions and Accusations of Ducking
With his mandatory defence now complete, Opetaia and his team immediately refocused on their long-standing goal of unifying the cruiserweight division. Opetaia's promoter, Mick Francis of Tasman Fighters, accused WBO and WBA champion Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez of avoiding a fight with the Australian.
"Jai's been calling this guy out for over a year now ... it's about time he grows some nuts and takes on Jai Opetaia," Francis stated. The promoter revealed plans to travel to the United States to confront the winner of the upcoming WBC title rematch between Badou Jack and Noel Mikaelian on December 13.
Opetaia echoed this ambition, saying, "We want the unification fights. I'm just chasing the belts, I've been asking for them for a long time." The victory over Cinkara marked Opetaia's seventh knockout in his last eight fights since first winning his titles over three years ago.
The event also featured the successful return of former bantamweight world champion Jason Moloney, as well as wins for Max McIntyre and Ben Mahoney. However, the card concluded with controversy as Paul Fleming's comeback fight against Jake Wyllie ended in a contentious draw, with the judges' scorecards being widely questioned.
