Jai Opetaia was scheduled to face off against Huseyin Cinkara in an eagerly anticipated bout on January 8.
However, the German contender has been forced to withdraw from the fight due to sustaining ligament damage in his ankle while in camp.
The untimely injury is expected to sideline Cinkara for approximately three months, which has forced Opetaia and his team to scramble for a new opponent with the card on the Gold Coast still set to go ahead despite the major setback.
MORE: Sam Goodman title fight off after Aussie suffers brutal injury
Who will Jai Opetaia fight next? Huseyin Cinkara’s withdrawal forces IBF champion to search for new opponent
On a day when Aussie boxing fans were still reeling from the news of Sam Goodman having to postpone his blockbuster fight against Naoya Inoue, yet more bad news arrived in the shape of Cinkara’s withdrawal.
“It’s unfortunate that Huseyin won’t be able to compete, but we’re close to securing a replacement,” Michael Francis, promoter for Tasman Fighters, said.
“We are currently negotiating with several top-ranked boxers from within the IBF rankings.
“Fans can be rest assured this will remain an exciting and high-stakes fight.”
Opetaia is coming off a stunning knockout victory over Jack Massey in October when he squared off against the Englishman in Saudi Arabia.
It continued a dominant run for the Australian-Samoan southpaw, who also boasts recent victories over the likes of Mairis Briedis and Jordan Thompson.
“This is part of boxing,” Opetaia said upon the announcement of Cinkara’s withdrawal. “I’m not worried.”
When will Jai Opetaia’s next opponent be announced?
Francis assured fans that work was being carried out behind-the-scenes to find a new opponent for Opetaia as quickly as possible.
“We expect to announce Jai’s next opponent by Monday (16 December),” Francis said.
“Eddie Hearn and Spencer Brown have been fantastic in working through this situation with the IBF and other potential opponents.”
Meanwhile, Opetaia remained untroubled by the late change of opponent for event which will take place at Gold Coast Convention Centre.
“I’ll be more than ready for whoever accepts the challenge,” Opetaia declared.
“I’m here to prove I’m the best, no matter who’s standing across from me.”
