Cruiserweight boxing heads to London this weekend, as Australia’s Jai Opetaia takes on home favourite Jordan Thompson at the OVO Wembley Arena for the IBF Cruiserweight World Title. With plenty of other big fights going down this weekend, this is a bout that has been somewhat overlooked, despite the fact that it should be a very competitive encounter with some excellent betting opportunities.
Both men will step into the ring undefeated, with Opetaia boasting a 22-0-0 professional record, and Thompson not far behind at 15-0-0. With 29 knockouts between them, there will be plenty of power on display as well, making this a fascinating and potentially volatile encounter. Can Opetaia back up his impressive win over Mairis Briedis last year? Or will Thompson give the home fans something to cheer about?
We break down all the latest betting odds from bookmaker bet365 ahead of this fight and outline the best bets to make on Opetaia vs. Thompson this weekend.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 30th, 11:00 A.M. (GMT)
Looking at the outright betting odds, defending champion Jai Opetaia is the heavy favourite here, despite both men being undefeated. Opetaia pays just 1.16 for a win on Saturday night. Thompson is at a moderate 5.00—long odds, but not astronomical.
Bookmaker bet365 has an Opetaia knockout as the most likely method of result, paying 1.72 for this outcome. Next is the Australian winning by way of decision at 3.00, before Thompson’s best odds are a knockout at 9.00.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 30th, 11:00 A.M. (GMT)
This should be a riveting encounter. Both men have the knockout power to finish this fight and are yet to taste defeat in their careers. Thompson has the advantage of fighting at home and with a significant height/reach edge over his opponent, while Opetaia is the more experienced boxer, and the incumbent defending champion.
We say the best bet to make here is simply backing Opetaia to win by knockout, for a 1.72 return. Three of the Australian’s last four fights have finished with his opponents on the canvas, and given the home ground advantage that Thompson holds, Opetaia won’t want this to go to the judges’ cards. Both are quality boxers, but the defending champion is a cut above, as demonstrated by his impressive showing against Briedis in mid-2022. Expect Opetaia to take his time, getting accustomed to Thompson’s reach across the first half of the fight, before finishing this one in rounds 7-12.
