Brandon Glanton readily admits that his fondest moment to date was driven by a personal disdain for the man with whom he shared the ring.
Whereas the hard-hitting cruiserweight Glanton took tremendous pride in dragging it out of Marcus Browne last October, there comes a greater sense of pride from what he plans to accomplish on Sunday. A win over lineal and Ring Magazine 200lbs champion Jai Opetaia is considerably less personal than it is career validation.
“Everyone will give me my respect after this fight,” Glanton told BoxingScene. “We’ve been through a lot – ups, downs, in between. So it's all for this moment here. It’s fantabulous.”
Opetaia-Glanton will headline “Zuffa Boxing 04” Sunday on Paramount+ from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The scheduled 12-round contest will come with the Ring championship and inaugural Zuffa title at stake, though not the IBF belt after the organization withdrew its sanctioning from the fight on Friday.
Regardless of the belts on the line, Opetaia, 29-0 (23 KOs), is the universally recognized cruiserweight champion and the division’s top fighter. An Australian southpaw, Opetaia will attempt the eighth defense of his lineal and Ring championships, while the hard-luck Glanton, 21-3 (18 KOs), is entering his first major title fight.
A 34-year-old bruiser from Atlanta, Glanton was on the doorstep a couple of times.
He suffered a setback, however, when he dropped a split decision to David Light in their December 2022 battle of unbeaten cruiserweights. A win would have seen Glanton immediately challenge then-WBO 200lbs titlist Lawrence Okolie, who instead faced and defeated Light just three months later.
For Glanton, it ended a perfect run that included his epic June 2021 thriller with Efotober Apochi, whom he defeated via split decision live on linear Fox TV. The win came in a Fight of the Year contender and put Glanton on the map as a cruiserweight to watch.
However, it was his recent beatdown of Browne, 25-3 (16 KOs) – a former secondary WBA 175lbs titlist – that represents Glanton’s greatest career memory thus far.
“Being honest, the proudest moment of my career, probably beating Marcus Browne,” Glanton insisted of his knockout victory last October in Lagos, Nigeria. “Beating Opetaia will reap its own rewards, obviously, but the sweetness of what I felt that night, I don't think I'll feel like that about another opponent. I don't like bullies and, um, I don't like being mistreated.
“Opetaia is just, he's just a guy right now. It's nothing personal with him. Browne, it was personal. You know, that was in my spirit. You know, that was a fight that needed to happen. This fight, God has allowed it to happen – but I needed that Marcus Browne fight. I needed that because of so many things that took place in the past. But Opetaia, he's the obstacle that's in the way of my future. That’s the thing about it, Marcus Browne was in the past.”
It also allowed Glanton to return to the win column after a competitive but clear points loss to former WBO 200lbs titlist Chris Billam-Smith, 21-2 (13 KOs), last April 26 in North London.
The win over Browne was enough for Glanton to emerge as a formidable challenger for Opetaia’s – and Glanton’s – Zuffa Boxing debut.
With that opportunity also comes the chance to make history.
It was unclear when Zuffa would roll out its own title, given the political status of H.R. 4624 – a proposed amendment to the Professional Boxing Safety Act (or Ali Act) that still has to pass through the U.S. Congress and be presented to President Donald Trump before it becomes official law. The bill would allow independent organizations such as Zuffa to produce its own rankings and titles.
It didn’t stop the upstart league from fast-forwarding those plans and having its first-ever championship at stake this weekend.
“As far as, Zuffa and Ring – obviously everybody wants the Ring belt,” noted Glanton, who is the No. 10 cruiserweight contender to Opetaia’s championship, according to the publication. “But with the Zuffa [title], I get to be the first guy to win it. I mean, come on, man. How much better does it get than that?
“You know, Zuffa signing guys every day, it's growing, they're treating us right. I've been treated spectacular – and not even from a favoritism standpoint; it's just professional people. I don’t feel like there’s favoritism. It's the professionalism for everybody. Everything's on time, running smoothly. Organization is wonderful.”
It’s the first time that Glanton truly feels at peace in his career, and at a pivotal moment for his new promoter.
A line was drawn in the sand by the IBF upon its abrupt withdrawal from Sunday’s headlining act. Opetaia will be stripped of the title as a result – for the second time in his career, no less.
Glanton remained largely unaffected, other than being denied the chance to challenge for his first alphabet title. He still has a clear path to true recognition as the best cruiserweight in the world – a status he has waited nine years for the industry to recognize.
“This is the first time in my career that I feel safe – obviously not physically, because I've been fighting the best fighters in the world now,” explained Glanton. “But safe as in, I know if I do my part, I'll be treated accordingly. That's all I ask for, man.”
