THE unfortunate fight withdrawals keep on coming as an injury to Huseyin Cinkara has seen his challenge to IBF and Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, on January 8, 2025, called off. As the news of Sam Goodman’s cut, forcing the Naoya Inoue December 24 postponement, filtered through, Cinkara’s ankle injury was also revealed and the Gold Coast Convention Centre clash canned – for Cinkara at least.
According to Michael Francis, promoter at Tasman Fighters, doctors confirmed ligament damage, which would sideline the German fighter for approximately three months. The promotional grouping is seeking to proceed with the planned date and looking at drafting a replacement opponent for the show, streamed live on DAZN.
“It’s unfortunate that Huseyin won’t be able to compete, but we’re close to securing a replacement. We are currently negotiating with several top-ranked boxers from within the IBF rankings and expect to announce Jai’s next opponent by Monday,” added Mr Francis.
“Fans can rest assured this will remain an exciting and high-stakes fight. Eddie Hearn and Spencer Brown have been fantastic in working through this situation with the IBF and other potential opponents.”
Champion Opetaia, who is used to dismantling opponents in the ring rather than before they even get there, was optimistic about the situation: “This is part of boxing. I’m not worried. I’ll be more than ready for whoever accepts the challenge. I’m here to prove I’m the best, no matter who’s standing across from me.”
