Justis Huni withdraws from Opetaia vs Cinkara undercard after death of trainer

Justis Huni’s trip down the comeback trail will have to wait until 2026, as Tasman Boxing’s Mick Francis tells BoxingScene that his Saturday rematch with Kiki Toa Leutele is off.

“He just had the death of his coach three weeks ago; Kiki was struggling with a bit of an injury from training,” Francis told BoxingScene. “This particular card is pretty stacked as it is. It just made sense that both fighters were not up for it.

Huni’s (12-1, 7 KO) trainer, Keri Fui, “collapsed in the gym during a training session…and received medical assistance from Huni and his strength and conditioning trainer before he was placed in a coma that he never recovered from.” The showdown with Leutele (12-2-2, 8 KO), whom Huni beat by unanimous decision in 2022, was to be Huni’s first since parting with Mark Wilson following his comeback knockout loss to Fabio Wardley in June.

Per Francis, the bout could be rescheduled in February. 6’3.5” super middleweight Max McIntyre’s eight-rounder with Jed Morris will replace it as the chief support.

Jai Opetaia fights mandatory challenger Huseyin Cinkara in the main event, while Jason Moloney and Teremoana Teremoana see action on the undercard.