Jai Opetaia Confirmed to Face Huseyin Cinkara in Highly Anticipated Bout

After nearly 11 months of delays, IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia will finally step into the ring with unbeaten contender Huseyin Cinkara. The bout is now scheduled for Saturday, December 6, at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre in Queensland—the same venue originally set to host the clash back in January.

Cinkara was forced to withdraw from that initial date due to an ankle injury, missing out on what would have been his first world title opportunity. Now, the 40-year-old German-based Turk gets a second shot before the end of the year.

Opetaia (28-0, 22 KOs), who is in the midst of his second reign as IBF champion, kept active in January by taking on New Zealand’s David Nyika. He dispatched the late replacement with a dominant fourth-round stoppage, continuing his impressive streak against non-elite opponents.

Despite his unblemished 23-0 (19 KOs) record, Cinkara enters the fight with questions surrounding the level of his competition. In April, he returned from a year-long layoff to stop Venezuela’s Juan Diaz in the first round. Before that, he knocked out Armend Xhoxhaj in two rounds—Xhoxhaj notably holds a win over Roman Fress. Meanwhile, Chris Billam-Smith has been mandated to fight for the WBC Interim cruiserweight title, potentially lining up future opportunities for the winner of Opetaia-Cinkara.

On the undercard, Australian heavyweight Justis Huni returns to action. The 26-year-old was on the verge of a breakthrough victory earlier this year against Fabio Wardley before suffering a dramatic 10th-round knockout in Ipswich. His next opponent has yet to be confirmed.

Local fighters Max McIntyre, Ben Mahoney, and Jack Gregory are also expected to feature on the bill. Opetaia is excited to return to familiar territory in Queensland.

“The Gold Coast Convention Centre is home turf, and I won’t be losing in front of my fans,” he said. “The atmosphere is always electric on fight night, and this event will be no different.”

As 2025 draws to a close, the Aussie champion will be hoping this bout sets the stage for the high-profile matchups he’s been chasing in 2026.