TYSON FURY has reportedly reached out to cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia as he prepares for his dust up with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury is currently training for his exhibition bout with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou at the end of this month.
GettyFury has contacted Jai Opetaia as he looks to prepare for his fight with Oleksandr Usyk[/caption]
ReutersOpetaia is the reigning IBF World Champion[/caption]
But this week it emerged that Fury will fight Oleksander Usyk in a clash to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world on December 23.
To prepare for that fight, he has reportedly messaged Opetaia ahead of potentially adding him as a sparring partner in the run-up to fighting Usyk.
Sydney-born Opetaia is currently unbeaten at cruiserweight level and stopped Brit Jordan Thompson at Wembley Arena on the weekend.
He is also the reigning IBF cruiserweight champion.
After beating Thompson, he told Boxing King Media: “Tyson Fury has already reached out. He messaged [my] coach, they’ve spoken about it before.”
“I was close to going out there before the fight got cancelled,” the 28-year-old added, referring to the collapse of talks between Fury and Usyk in spring.
“That’s a crazy experience, I look forward to doing things like that.”
Usyk previously reigned as the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world before stepping up to fight at heavyweight – so using cruiserweight Opetaia as a sparring partner may be crucial in helping Fury prepare for the undisputed title fight.
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Like Usyk, Opetaia says he hopes to step up to the heavyweight division one day.
When asked about the prospect of going up a weight class, Opetaia said: “Definitely.
“I’ve still got a lot of work to do as a cruiserweight, but I see myself fighting for heavyweight world titles further down the track.”