The finish rescued the bout from becoming a solid but unspectacular points win for Opetaia. He had been busier from the opening round, controlling range with his southpaw jab and beating Mikaelian to the punch without tearing through him. Mikaelian remained patient and looked for counter rights rather than trying to match Opetaia’s output. That approach gave him isolated success, but he spent too many rounds waiting for the Australian to make a mistake.
His best moment came in the seventh. A right hand caught Opetaia clean and briefly wobbled him, showing that Mikaelian still carried enough power to change the
