Australian boxing world champion Jai Opetaia has been slammed by a magistrate for aggressive behaviour towards police and urinating in his cell after an arrest at a Sydney nightclub.
Opetaia faced Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday charged with remaining in the vicinity of a licensed premises after being excluded, behaving in an offensive manner in a public place and using offensive language in a public place.
The 27-year-old undefeated IBF champion became aggressive and refused to answer police questions, with court documents revealing he began banging on his cell door, urinated in his dock and was verbally abusive to officers following his recent arrest.
Australian boxing world champion Jai Opetaia pictured before his July world title fight. In August the boxing champion was arrested in Sydney at a nightclub – he faced court on Wednesday
Opetaia pictured in his world title fight against Latvian champion Mairis Briedis in July. Opetaia won the bout and became the IBF cruiserweight world champion
The charges relate to an August 14 night out in Sydney where the boxer and a friend attempted to enter Home Nightclub on Cockle Bay Wharf.
The pair walked towards the exit to the premises, where the security guard denied them entry – telling them to use the correct entrance.
They then moved towards the security guard, prompting five men to grab Opetaia and move him away.
Opetaia was asked to leave after getting into an argument with security guards – but he remained in the area.
The boxing champ was restrained by two security guards until police arrived and put him in handcuffs.
Opetaia (pictured in his IBF title bout) was restrained by two security guards at a Sydney nightclub until police arrived and put him in handcuffs
Opetaia became aggressive with police and loudly said ‘f**k you’ to the officers who gave him a final warning and told him he was being recorded.
‘You f**king idiots, I’ve sat here arrested… for nothing,’ Opetaia said, according to court documents.
He yelled the word ‘nothing’ into an officer’s face from extremely close distance before yelling ‘for f**k’s sake’ and ‘f**k you’ to the officers.
‘You are a dumb four-eyed piece of s***,’ he said to one of the police officers.
The talented boxer was taken to Day Street Police Station and charged with remaining in the vicinity of a licensed premises after being excluded, behaving in an offensive manner in a public place and using offensive language in a public place.
Opetaia (pictured in his IBF title bout) has been slammed by a magistrate for aggressive behaviour towards police and urinating in his cell after his arrest at a Sydney nightclub
Opetaia faced court for the first time on Wednesday, and defence lawyer Jason Murakami entered a plea of guilty on his behalf.
Mr Murakami asked magistrate Daniel Covington to consider ‘exercising discretion’ given Opetaia entered a guilty plea, had no criminal history and the objective seriousness was low.
He told the court that Opetaia had not drunk alcohol ‘all his life’ and then drank and ‘finds himself before the court’.
Mr Murakami said his client was very remorseful and worried about his poor behaviour more than his sporting career being affected.
Mr Covington said Opetaia acted ‘appallingly’.
The Aussie boxing champion (pictured winning the IBF title) was aggressive with police and repeatedly shouted ‘f*** off’ at officers on the scene
‘Police have a right to go about their work without being treated like that,’ the magistrate said.
‘What troubles me is your attitude to police … it’s absolutely disgraceful the way you acted.’
The magistrate said the former Olympian’s behaviour reflected ‘very poorly’ on him and told him to ‘seriously reconsider’ drinking alcohol again.
He did not convict Opetaia but put him on a conditional release order for 24 months.
‘I hope you never behave that way towards police again,’ he said.
Opetaia (pictured with Aussie boxing and rugby league legend Paul Gallen) was not convicted by the magistrate, but put on a conditional release order for 24 months
Opetaia sensationally won the IBF cruiserweight world title on the Gold Coast in July against Latvian champion Mairis Briedis. What made the win all the more impressive was he did it with a badly broken jaw.
He has also represented Australia at the Olympic Games in 2012 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
When Opetaia qualified for the Olympics in 2012 he was just 16 and became the youngest ever Australian Olympic boxer.