TYSON FURY’S promoter Bob Arum revealed the heavyweight champion could fight unknown Jai Opetaia in Sydney next year in a £10million payday.
Top Rank boss Arum brought Manny Pacquiao over to Australia in 2017 when the Filipino was stunned by Jeff Horn on points to lose the welterweight title.
Tyson Fury’s promoter is in talks for the Brit to fight Jai Opetaia in 2021Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Opetaia was to move up from crusierweight to heavyweight and challenge FuryCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But the veteran boxing chief has been in talks with Opetaia’s promoter, Dean Lonergan, on a deal to see Fury fight the Aussie at the Bankwest Stadium in 2021.
Arum told The Sun Herald: “He would love to come; we love to fight in different places. That to me is something that is very exciting.
“What we’re talking about is in 2021 at some time. That would be a big event, particularly if we were able to stage it on a Sunday morning because then that would be prime time back in the US.
“I had a tremendous experience in Australia for that Jeff Horn fight. I’m very open to coming back again. I have had a good experience working with Dean.”
Fury, 31, dethroned Deontay Wilder, 34, to win the WBC heavyweight world title at the end of February in a dominant one-sided stoppage win inside seven rounds.
The Gypsy King is now set to rematch beaten Wilder on July 18 – to settle their trilogy – but wants to face unified champ Anthony Joshua, 30, in a historic undisputed decider afterwards.
Then the 6ft 9in unbeaten star plans to retire. But Arum urged Fury to replicate Pacquiao who at 41 still reigns as world champion.
Arum said: “I promoted Manny Pacquiao for seven and a half years and five years into the promotion he was telling the press he would only have two more fights and then would retire. Well that’s now 14 years later and he’s still fighting.
“You have to take with a grain of salt fighters saying they want two more fights and then they’re gone.
“I mean I’ve heard that so often. He will retire when he wants to retire and whether that’s two fights or three fights, I think we have three more on our contract.
“Even though we have a contract, if a fighter wants to retire early, he retires early. He will retire when he wants to retire and without giving any credibility to the fact that he’s only going to do two fights and retire.
“Maybe he believes that, I’m sure he believes it, but that’s subject to change.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn wants Fury and AJ to box in a trilogy of bouts while WBC mandatory Dillian Whyte will attempt to muscle his way into a crack at the Gypsy King.
But despite the mega-money all-British fights, 24-year-old Opetaia , who is 19-0 and expected to move up from crusierweight to heavyweight, said: “He’s the best heavyweights of our era at the moment.
“I’m a massive fan. Once we win the world title in the cruiserweight division it will put me as the first mandatory for whoever the [heavyweight] champ is there. If it happens to be him, let’s do it.
“It’s a huge step, massive. [Fury’s] the goal, he’s at the top of the tree, there’s no one above him at the moment. To come up against him, it’s a crazy thought, let alone it happening. It’s definitely possible. It’s a dream, things that I have dreamt up since I was a little kid.”
Fury vs Opetaia would be set for the Bankwest Stadium in 2021Credit: Getty Images – Getty
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Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
