BOXER Jai Opetaia fought to win the title of cruiserweight against Mairis Brriedis, despite his jaw breaking in the second round.
The Australian won the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles with unanimous points.
Before his fight, Briedis had lost only to Oleksander Usyk.
This is despite the fact that the 27-year old suffered a fractured jaw in the fight against Briedis, a three-times champion.
Opetaia won the contest 10 minutes before midnight Saturday, after he had recovered from his injury.
Briedis had lost only once to Oleksander Usyk during his professional 29-fight career. Opetaia also fought Briedis throughout the fight.
Opetaia's jaw appeared to be broken by one of his punches.
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In the 10th round Opetaia was knocked out by a Briedis punch.
The 27-year old managed to put his own punches in early in the fight and appeared to break Briedis in the fourth round.
The new World Champion won unanimously in front of the Gold Coast crowd, winning points 116-112, 115-23, 115-113 and 116-112.
Opetaia was reportedly unable to speak after a fight and left the ring in order to seek medical attention.
SIGN UP DEALS AND FREE BETS - THE BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERINGSOpetaia now holds a record of 22-0 with 17 knockouts.
Despite the loss to Usyk and the Aussie, Briedis' record now stands at 28-2 with 20 knockouts.
Next month, Usyk will face Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia.
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