Jai Opetaia vs Jordan Thompson Prediction and Picks September 30

Jai Opetaia vs Jordan Thompson Betting Preview

Jai Opetaia and Jordan Thompson head to OVO Arena in London, England to box in a IBF and Ring cruiserweight championship match on Saturday, September 30 as WagerTalk boxing handicapper Kevin Dolan gives his Jai Opetaia vs Jordan Thompson prediction and picks with match time set for 5:15pm ET.

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Jai Opetaia vs Jordan Thompson Betting Odds

Saturday, September 30	Boxing Betting Notes (Courtesy of Caesars)
Moneyline:	Jai Opetaia -450 vs Jordan Thompson +330
Rounds:	N/A
Fight Time:	Main Event 5:15pm ET / 2:15pm PT
Arena:	OVO Arena in London, England
TV:	DAZN

Jai Opetaia vs Jordan Thompson Betting Analysis

Australian unified cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia looks to defend his Ring Magazine and IBF belts this weekend over in London as he takes on the undefeated hometown fighter Jordan Thompson in a voluntary defense on Saturday at Wembley Arena.

Jai Opetaia is ranked #1 in the division by both the Ring Magazine and Transnational after he ruthlessly wrestled the belts away from former cruiserweight kingpin Mairis Breidis in a back-and-forth war last year, despite getting his jaw broken in two places.

However, that was over 14 months ago now as Opetaia finds himself in a voluntary defense against Jordan Thompson as negotiations remain ongoing with Bredis’ team about a potential rematch.

Thompson came off the biggest win of his career so far back in April, stopping Luke ‘The Duke’ Watkins inside the distance, but this fight presents a whole other ball game for him this weekend, stepping in against the king of the cruiserweight division on Saturday.

Jai Opetaia goes into this one as the prohibitive favorite this weekend, with books posting lines anywhere between -450 to -650 on the Australian.

Thompson meanwhile comes back as anywhere between a +333 to a +420 underdog at most books on the other side.

It Hasn’t Been An Easy Ride For The New Champion

After Oleksandr Usyk’s complete clean-up of the cruiserweight division back in 2018, and subsequently, Mairis Breidis’ conquest immediately after, when Jai Opetaia snatched all of the belts away from the 37-year-old last summer, it truly looked as if a new chapter had descended on the cruiserweight division.

However, both injuries and continued fallouts during negotiations have continued to hamper Jai Opetaia’s early reign as the cruiserweight king, with surgery on his left shoulder stalling his fight against Mateusz Masternak earlier this year.

Even more frustrating has been fighters pulling out of scheduled purse bids to face Opetaia as well, with Masternak being chief among them, but also quickly followed by a puzzling exit from the #2 ranked mandatory Richard Riakporhe last month, along with negotiations breaking down between Breidis’ team for that long-awaited rematch as well.

Uncharted Territory For Jordan Thompson

If personality and brashness were able to get it done in the ring, Jordan Thompson would be amongst the elite in the cruiserweight division right now, with his cocky demeanor matching his high-quality performances so far in the ring.

That said, neither the Ring nor Transnational has Thomson listed anywhere near their top 10 in the division right now, mainly down to the level of competition he’s faced up to this point, with the already two-loss Watkins representing Thompson’s biggest challenge to date.

To go from that level to an Opetaia is a serious step up, but Thompson, ever the showman, is promising a brutal KO victory against the Australian fighter on Saturday night in his hometown.

Jai Opetaia vs Jordan Thompson Expert Prediction

There are definitely some question marks hanging over this fight for Jai Opetaia, namely his previous injuries (is that jaw fully back to where it once was, and is the left shoulder at 100% also). The other issue is ring rust, with Jordan Thompson having had two fights since the last time Opetaia stepped through the ropes.

If those concerns are unfounded however, and Opetaia is able to get back to his best here, then it’s difficult to envision anything other than an Opetaia stoppage victory in this one, with three of Opetaia’s last four opponents all failing to make it to the final bell.

Despite Jordan Thompson’s obvious confidence ahead of this one, there are levels to boxing and he simply hasn’t been tested at the same level as Opetaia over his career so far. Expect that experience gap to show on Saturday night as Opetaia gets the KO victory in London.

Play: Jai Opetaia by KO/TKO (-110)

(Only one book is posting the method of victory prop at the time of writing. Wait closer to fight time for potentially better odds popping up on this prop)

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