Jai Opetaia’s quest to become undisputed champion has hit a wall.
BoxingScene has confirmed that the IBF has withdrawn its sanctioning from Sunday’s “Zuffa Boxing 04” headliner between Australia’s Opetaia and Atlanta’s Brandon Glanton. A press conference held on Friday confirmed that the IBF title, Ring Magazine championship and inaugural Zuffa cruiserweight title will be at stake.
It was the classification of the Zuffa belt as a “championship” that forced the IBF’s hand.
“The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has withdrawn sanction of the optional defense of the IBF Cruiserweight Title between champion Jai Opetaia and #15 ranked contender Brandon Glanton scheduled for March 8, 2026,” an IBF spokesperson confirmed to BoxingScene via submitted statement.
“With sanction withdrawn, the Opetaia vs. Glanton bout is now an Unsanctioned Contest. IBF Rule 5.H. states in part - An Unsanctioned Contest is a fight which the IBF has not formally approved for sanction or where sanction has been formally withdrawn. If a Champion participates in an unsanctioned contest within his prescribed weight limit, the title will be declared vacant whether the Champion wins or loses the bout.”
The development will now leave Opetaia, 29-0 (23 KOs), as a former two-time IBF titleholder.
BoxingScene has learned that Chris Billam-Smith and Floyd Masson could wind up meeting for the soon-to-be-vacant title.
Sunday’s Paramount+ main event – which will stream live from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas – will still come with Opetaia’s Ring championship and the newly created Zuffa belt on the line.
His previous reign ended under similar circumstances when he moved forward with a fight versus Ellis Zorro on the December 2023 “Day of Reckoning” Riyadh Season event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight was doubly rejected – Zorro was not ranked in the IBF top 15, nor had Opetaia sought an exception to his already ordered mandatory versus Mairis Briedis.
Opetaia ultimately regained the vacant title in a May 2024 victory over Briedis, whom he initially dethroned in their July 2022 thriller.
Five successful defenses followed for Opetaia during his second reign, after which he signed with the newly formed Zuffa Boxing league. The signing caught many by surprise – Opetaia was the first major titlist secured by the company, which has been adamant about refusing to work with the sanctioning bodies.
At the time, it was confirmed that an exception was made given Opetaia’s burning desire to become undisputed champion. He even reluctantly agreed to a face-off with WBC titlist Noel Mikaelian shortly after a Zuffa Boxing event last month in Las Vegas, which was intended to build intrigue towards a future showdown.
Shortly after Opetaia was confirmed to headline “Zuffa Boxing 04,” IBF president Daryl Peoples – who initially learned of the fight through social media – contacted Opetaia and Tasman Fighters to discuss the terms of the bout.
IBF Rule 5.E.1, covering unification bouts, explicitly states that “No Champion shall box or sign to box a Champion or for another championship of another sanctioning body in seeking to unify a title unless prior approval is granted by the Championships Committee. Once the IBF has sent out the notice of the date of the purse bid, or once a contract has been signed for a mandatory bout, no request for a Unification Contest will be approved.
“A Champion’s failure to comply with this requirement will constitute sufficient cause for the Championships Committee and Board of Directors to consider withdrawing recognition of the title and to remove him from the IBF ratings.”
IBF Rule 5.E.2 notes the recognized sanctioning bodies – WBA, WBC and WBO – for unification purposes. Zuffa’s newly created league and title does not fall under that category. At the time of their exchange earlier this week, Opetaia’s representatives acknowledged the issue at hand and insisted its intention to defend the IBF title was in accordance with sanctioning body rules.
“After continued dialogue, on March 3, Opetaia’s team confirmed the fight would not be a unification and that any belt awarded by Zuffa would be ‘characterized as a trophy or token of recognition,’” confirmed the IBF. “The IBF has not had any discussion regarding this bout with any direct representative from Zuffa Boxing.
“However, the organization received assurances from Opetaia’s representatives that this would be the case. The IBF approved the bout under these conditions as the bout would no longer conflict with IBF Rule 5.E.2 which states in part – For the purpose of unification of titles, the preeminent Champions of the … WBA … WBC … and WBO may be designated as ‘elite contenders’ and may be permitted to fight for the unified title.”
Furthermore, Zuffa does not yet have permission to produce its own championships or rankings under the current terms of the Professional Boxing Safety Act.
Steps have been taken to advance H.R. 4624 – an amendment to the Ali Act that would permit Universal Boxing Organizations (UBOs) to effectively act as judge and jury, provided they follow a strict set of rules of operation external to the rules of the original act. However, the bill was only recently approved to advance to the House of Representatives floor; it still requires a scheduled voting date for House approval, followed by the Senate and then on to US President Donald Trump to enact into law.
None of that will happen prior to Sunday, which leaves Opetaia in quite the predicament.
“The press conference held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, today [March 6] made it clear that the Zuffa World Cruiserweight title would still be contested on March 8,” noted the IBF. “The IBF reserves the right to sanction title bouts alongside other sanctioning bodies that comply with the same mandated regulations followed by the organization.”
Absent his sudden withdrawal from Sunday’s event, Opetaia will be one title lighter, and thus significantly further away from his goal to become undisputed.
Additionally, his Ring title could be at risk later this spring if the independent(-ish) ratings panel abides by the publication’s championship policy.
Among the six ways a Ring champion can lose their title are:
1. The Champion loses a fight in the weight class in which he is champion.
2. The Champion moves to another weight class.
3. The Champion does not schedule a fight in any weight class for 18 months.
4. The Champion does not schedule a fight at his championship weight for 18 months (even if he fights at another weight).
5. The Champion does not schedule a fight with a Top-5 contender from any weight class for two years.
6. The Champion retires.
In accordance with Rule 5, Opetaia has not faced a Ring top five contender since his May 2024 rematch with Briedis.
He has since scored knockout victories over Jack Massey, David Nyika, Claudio Squeo and mandatory challenger Huseyin Cinkara. All four were in the IBF top 15; none were in the Ring’s 200lbs rankings at the time they faced Opetaia. Glanton, 21-3 (18 KOs), has managed to sneak into the No. 10 spot of the Ring’s cruiserweight rankings.
Based on social media commentary from some panel members – and taking into account Turki Alalshikh’s influence over the publication (despite his previous insistence of remaining independent from the Ring as a news outlet) – it is highly doubtful that Opetaia will be at risk of losing his Ring title, unless it’s in defeat or he chooses to one day vacate.
The same cannot be said of the IBF, as much of a stickler for the rules as any entity in the sport – even at the risk of unpopular decisions.
“The organization’s rules don’t always yield the preferred or popular outcome, but they provide structure and transparency, serving not just the champion but also those waiting for the opportunity to fight for the title,” emphasized the sanctioning body. “The pursuit of undisputed status – by unifying the IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO titles – represents the highest ambition in the sport.
“The IBF is committed to providing professional boxers worldwide with meaningful opportunities to advance their careers.”
