Mairis Briedis’ Clash with Jay Opetai in Riyadh Postponed to May 18, 2023 Due to Fury’s Injury

Mairis Briedis was going to fight one of his last fights in his career (probably the last) on February 17 in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. He was scheduled to avenge his loss to Australian Jay Opetai in July 2022. The fight has now been postponed to May 18.

Less than a month before the fight, Briedis signed a contract for a rematch and on February 11, he planned to go to Saudi Arabia with his coach Dmitri Šikholaj. “Kingdom Arena” was supposed to be one of the biggest boxing events in recent years. The main fight of the evening for the undisputed super heavyweight championship title, for which the undefeated Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk and the British Tyson Fury were going to fight for the first time since 1999.

The fight of Deer – Opetaia should have taken place before the so-called fight of the century.

Fury suffered a facial injury during sparring training in Riyadh, which will prevent him from fighting on February 17. Therefore, the other evening fights have also been canceled for a later time. The fight show is now set for May 18.

“The most important thing for me was the opportunity to be on such a show. I could not miss such an opportunity to fight with Opetaia,” said Briedis in a conversation with TVNET this week. “It’s a long story why the fight with Gilberto Ramirez didn’t happen. It’s the whole politics of boxing.”

Briedis did not want to talk about the preparation for the fight and why he has not entered the professional ring for more than a year and a half, mentioning that he has “his own reasons”.

“We are preparing as much as possible…