Eddie Hearn has complete confidence that his next “5 vs 5” foray will unfold much more favorably for Matchroom Boxing than its initial competition with British rival Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions last summer.
Hearn promotes the undefeated fighter he considers boxing’s best cruiserweight in Jai Opetaia and will happily take his chances in a title unification fight against a cruiserweight champion promoted by another antagonist, Oscar De La Hoya.
His full belief in Opetaia notwithstanding, Hearn realizes Opetaia-Gilberto Ramirez is the marquee fight for boxers contractually capped at 200 pounds.
“I think that’s the best fight in the division – I really do,” Hearn told The Ring. “I had a good chat with Oscar in Riyadh [during Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury fight week] and spoke to [Golden Boy CEO] Eric Gomez, and we’re talking about that fight being part of ‘5 vs 5’ in the summer.
“I think that would be a tremendous fight for the ‘5 vs 5.’ I think it would be a tremendous fight for any card, if I’m honest. It’s the fight for the division. And obviously, it would mean that whoever wins is just one belt away from being undisputed, just the WBC.”
Australia’s Opetaia (27-0, 21 KOs) owns The Ring and IBF cruiserweight championships. Mexico’s Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs), The Ring’s No. 1 contender in the 200-pound division, holds the WBA and WBO belts.
De La Hoya has stated to several outlets that Ramirez’s mandatory obligation to the WBA, a 12-round title defense against hard-hitting Cuban contender Yuniel Dorticos (27-2, 25 KOs), would need to be fulfilled before the former WBO super middleweight champ could oppose Opetaia.
“There is the Dorticos mandatory,” Hearn said. “At the end of the day, things can get resolved.”
Ramirez, 33, owns the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. He won the WBO belt from England’s Chris Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs), via unanimous decision in their 12-rounder November 15 at The Venue Riyadh Season in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Badou Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs), a native Swede who resides in Dubai, owns the WBC cruiserweight championship.
Keith Idec is a staff writer for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing.