It wasn’t the phone call he was expecting but when Ellis Zorro 17-0 (7) was offered a world title shot against Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia 23-0 (18), he didn’t hesitate to accept.
Not only will the 31-year-old Brit be fighting for recognition as the best 200-pound boxer on the planet against Australian southpaw Opetaia, 28, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night, he will also be receiving a career-high payday.
“Jai wasn’t really on my radar, this show wasn’t on my radar,” Ellis admitted to Metro.co.uk. “I got a call from Martin [Bowers, Zorro’s manager] and was told the opportunity has come up. He told me where it was, who it was against and how much. And I had to take it.
“This is what I got into the sport for. Saying it’s a dream come true is very cliched. But this is what it is. Being on this stage with the purse I am getting off the back of my journey is massive.
“From not being able to get on television, struggling to sell tickets, fighting on small hall shows off the back of lockdown, I wasn’t always sure where things were going. I was getting on a bit in age. In a nutshell, it hasn’t been an easy journey. I understand who I am going up against and what people are saying about my chances but it doesn’t override my personal goals and my personal dreams.
“I think it becomes the moment where I can say I really have got something out of the sport which is securing things for me and my family. It opens doors. It makes everything I have been doing it worth it.
“When all those doors were being shut in my face and trainers didn’t want to work with me because I only had three amateur fights. When no one wanted to come to my fights, managers didn’t want to work with me… this opportunity is great feeling. It is what all that struggle was for.”
Victory would be a fairytale result for Zorro, who is taking a massive step up in class. In his last three fights he has defeated Dec Spelman, Hosea Burton and Luca D’Ortenzi dating back to September last year.
Even Zorro knows he will need to deliver something special to get the win after being impressed by Opetaia’s IBF and Ring Magazine title winning effort against Latvian veteran Mairis Briedis 28-2 (20) in July last year.
“I was a fan of Jai’s and I still am,” Zorro said. “When I saw what he did against Briedis, I said this guy is a problem. When the phone rang for me it was like one of those when idols become you rivals moments. He is number one here at cruiserweight.”
A win for Zorro would be in the mix for the upset of the year, but in boxing it doesn’t hurt to dream.
“I don’t like to overthink things too much,” Zorro said. “Boxing is hit and don’t be hit. With this one, him being a southpaw is probably the biggest change in terms of preparation and sparring. He is the first I’ve fought. But nothing else really changes for me. I’m locked in trying to maintain focus.
“I have built momentum but there is a big step up here. With all my past opponents, I knew I was going to win. it was just a matter of how I was going to do it. That is how I was training. This is the first fight where I could lose. It has given me that extra bit in training.
“I have a healthy respect for my opponent. I knew with previous opponents, I had them, it was just about how quickly I would get it done. But this is different. I’m not expected to win. So that makes it more excitement. It is a different type of motivation. But there is no pressure.”
