Appearing as the co-main event on one of boxing’s biggest cards of the year, Jai Opetaia and Mairis Briedis face off for the second time, each trying to reclaim the IBF cruiserweight title they previously owned.
Before Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk clash to determine the heavyweight division’s first undisputed champion in 25 years, Opetaia and Briedis will fight it out for supremacy at 200-pounds.
When they first met in July 2022, Opetaia earned a unanimous decision victory but suffered a badly broken jaw in the process.
MORE: Unbroken: The story behind one of Australian boxing’s greatest victories
Briedis hasn’t fought since, while Opetaia has recorded two devastating knockout victories, over Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro.
The Aussie southpaw still holds The Ring title but vacated the IBF belt in difficult circumstances late last year
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Follow along with The Sporting News as we discover who will emerge victorious when the pair run it back at Ring Of Fire in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis 2 live results, updates and highlights
Follow along as we bring you round-by-round coverage from the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight world title bout.
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Opetaia | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | ||||||||
| Briedis | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
Round 4: Briedis finds the target with a couple shots early in the round. He’s doing his best work in close. But Opetaia fights back strongly to score from range, to the body and then head. Close round but Opetaia’s activity takes it.
Round 3: Straight left lands for Opetaia and then takes one to the body but fires right back to Briedis’ head. The Latvian looking to fight on the counter for the most part but Opetaia proving elusive enough so far.
Round 2: More action that round. Opetaia lands some big shots on the ropes but Briedis stands up to them well. Briedis lands a shot to the back of the head. Briedis lands a couple of right uppercuts to keep Opetaia on his toes.
Round 1: Cagey opening round from both. Opetaia on the front foot but cautious. Briedis sitting back and waiting. Nothing substantial landed.
7:04am AEST: The fighters have made their walks. Nothing left to do but fight.
6:53am AEST: Opetaia and Briedis are next to the ring. Here are the results from the card so far:
- Anthony Cacace def. Joe Cordina (c) via (TKO 8/12) for the IBF super featherweight title
- Frank Sanchez def. Agit Kabayel via (KO 7/12); Heavyweights
- Moses Itauma def. Ilja Mezencev (TKO 2/10); Heavyweights
- Mark Chamberlain def. Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab (KO 1/10); Lightweights
- Robin Safar def. Sergey Kovalev (UD 10); Cruiserweights
- David Nyika def. Michael Seitz (4/10 TKO); Cruiserweights
- Daniel Lapin def. Octavio Pudivitr (KO 1/10); Light Heavyweights
- Isaac Lowe def. Hasibullah Ahmadi (PTS 10); Featherweights
What time is Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis 2?
The Ring Of Fire card goes down on Saturday, May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The main card is due to kick off at 12pm ET, with the main event expected to begin around 6pm.
Opetaia vs. Briedis is the penultimate fight on the card.
All times are approximate and will depend on the length of the earlier bouts.
| Main card | Opetaia vs. Briedis 2 | Fury vs. Usyk | |
| US (ET) | 12:00pm | 5:00pm | 6:00pm |
| US (PT) | 9:00am | 2:00pm | 3:00pm |
| UK (GMT) | 5:00pm | 10:00pm | 11:00pm |
| Aus (AEST) | 2:00am* | 7:00am* | 8:00am* |
| Saudi Arabia | 7:00pm | 12:00am* | 1:00am* |
*Sunday, May 19
How to watch Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis 2: TV channel, live stream
In the U.S., Fury vs. Usyk will be available on DAZN and ESPN+ PPV. It is available via TNT Sports Box Office in the U.K., while Aussie fans can tune in on DAZN.
| Region | TV channel | Live streaming |
| United States | — | DAZN PPV, ESPN+ PPV, PPV.com |
| Canada | — | PPV.com |
| UK and Ireland | — | TNT Sports Box Office, DAZN PPV |
| Australia | — | DAZN PPV |
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight card
- Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk for the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight titles
- Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis for the vacant IBF cruiserweight title
- Joe Cordina (c) vs. Anthony Cacace for the IBF super featherweight title
- Frank Sanchez vs. Agit Kabayel; Heavyweight
- Moses Itauma vs. Ilija Mezencev; Heavyweight
- Mark Chamberlain vs. Joshua Wahab; Lightweight
- Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirawn Safar; Light heavyweight
- Daniel Lapin vs. Octavio Pudivtr; Light heavyweight
- David Nyika vs. Michael Seitz; Cruiserweight
- Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi; Featherweight
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