IT wasn’t for a lack of trying, but IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia’s ringcraft just proved far too much for Jack Massey to handle on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol undercard in October and his corner compassionately threw in the towel after five punishing rounds two months ago.
Massey, 22-3 (12 KOs), had fallen short in each of his two previous step-ups, first against one-time world title challenger Richard Riakporhe in December 2019 for British honours before an unexpected opportunity up at heavyweight presented itself against former WBO titleholder Joseph Parker to kick off 2023.
He departed trainer Rob Rimmer and announced he’d join Joe Gallagher in March last year, after which he set about a plan: return to prominence in a division unkind to him as far as opportunities or valuable activity is concerned.
Improving everyday in the gym and making little tweaks under Gallagher’s guidance, he answered the call on a month’s notice to box Isaac Chamberlain on the Chris Billam-Smith vs. Richard Riakporhe 2 undercard at Selhurst Park after original opponent Michal Cieslak withdrew through injury.
Massey showed smarts and grit in a 12-round upset win over Chamberlain before more boxing politics saw him thrust into a life-changing shot with Opetaia, vacating the recently-won EBU European cruiserweight title to do so.
France’s Leonardo Mosquea produced a surprise of his own to edge beyond previously-unbeaten British titleholder Cheavon Clarke in Monte-Carlo earlier this month with a 12-round split decision nod, the latest in a long line of results that will embolden the Derbyshire native to rebuild once more in the new year.
The wheels never stop turning in a 200lb division without an established number one and while Chris Billam-Smith lost the WBO world title in a unification with Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez on Saudi shores last month, Massey’s trainer Joe Gallagher feels a domestic duel makes sense at some point next year.
Their timelines are relatively similar too, sharing the June 15 card before boxing five weeks apart in Riyadh. Given the extent of his injuries though, Billam-Smith is unlikely to return until April at the earliest, where BOXXER chief Ben Shalom has insisted he’ll get a big fight on his return and remain at world-level.
It’s something he floated back in July, pointing to their amateur backstory – Massey beat Billam-Smith in the 2013 National Championships Final – before turning pro three months later. Billam-Smith stayed an amateur four more years, honing his trade before beginning in the paid ranks on the small-hall circuit.
“He’ll be back in February or March time and then I’d love to see him against CBS next, that’d be a great fight,” Gallagher told Boxing News last Saturday in Riyadh, when asked about a return timeline for the one-time IBO world cruiserweight titlist.
He admitted he hadn’t watched CBS-Zurdo but had an inkling the fight would play out the way it did, the Bournemouth man producing a spirited display but Ramirez proving too good over the championship distance to win comfortably.
“I knew beforehand, I’m very familiar with Ramirez and just felt he’d have too much for Chris in the end. No disrespect or discredit there, it’s the same as Massey against Opetaia, sometimes you’ve just gotta hold your hand up and say you lost to the better man on the day.”
Like most other observers, Gallagher hopes Opetaia vs. Ramirez can happen sometime in 2025 to unify the division. In the presence of unavoidable mandatory challengers, as well as the WBC curiously reinstating Badou Jack as full champion recently after a two-year layoff, we’ll wait a bit longer before crowning the first cruiserweight king since Oleksandr Usyk in 2018.
“Hopefully they unify, would love to see that fight and we’ll see what happens to the belts afterwards,” Gallagher added.
