Establishing the rules as we go is apparently this week’s theme in boxing as the fate of Jai Opetaia’s cruiserweight belt and the impending awarding of a lightweight belt to the winner of William Zepeda-Lamont Roach Jnr hang in the balance.
On Wednesday’s episode of ProBoxTV’s newly expanded “BoxingScene Today,” those fluid topics were addressed by analysts and former world titleholders Chris Algieri and Paulie Malignaggi.
“So he’s coming off a loss and gets a title shot? Love the rule change,” Malignaggi said in reference to Mexico’s top-rated and former interim belt holder Zepeda, 33-1 (27 KOs), landing the opportunity to fight for the belt that the WBC stripped from unbeaten four-division champion Shakur Stevenson over unpaid sanctioning fees.
Roach, 25-1-3 (10 KOs), ironically, has come up short in his past two fights while engaging in entertaining draws versus Gervonta “Tank” Davis last March and Mexico’s former 140lbs belt holder Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in December.
Setting aside the controversy over new WBO 140lbs titlist Stevenson being stripped and the past precedent that fighters weren’t eligible for title fights when coming off a defeat, Algieri said Zepeda “comes forward and throws a lot of punches … it’s a fun fight.”
While Malignaggi believes Stevenson will move forward just fine without the belt – “He can make his own way and be favored no matter which direction [in weight] he goes,” Malignaggi said – the former welterweight titlist said, “I don’t like the politics of it,” in reference to the Mexico-based WBC placing the Mexico-based fighter in title-fight position.
Zepeda has scuffled in his past three fights – two against former 130lbs belt holder Tevin Farmer and one against Stevenson – but the similarly crafty Roach suffered a hand injury in his bout against Cruz, rallying to gain the draw.
“You needs those hands … and Zepeda needs a rebound performance,” Malignaggi said of the likely spring bout.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Opetaia, 29-0 (23 KOs), is reportedly confronting the loss of his IBF cruiserweight belt if he becomes the first active titleholder to fight for a new Zuffa belt on Sunday’s Zuffa Boxing card in Las Vegas.
“The IBF sticks to its guns and the ethics of its rules set,” Malignaggi said, reminding that the New Jersey-based sanctioning body stripped Saul “Canelo” Alvarez for not previously meeting his mandatory contender.
“It’s the old-guard versus the new-world order,” Algieri said of the IBF’s reported stance that Opetaia can keep its belt by fighting only for it Sunday but will be stripped if he fights for and accepts the Zuffa belt.
At this point, Zuffa – run by UFC CEO/President Dana White – has yet to win Congressional approval to change the Ali Act and gain the right to rank its own fighters and reward belts.
And after White said his circuit did not want to associate with the four established sanctioning bodies – IBF, WBC, WBO, WBA – the sanctioning bodies have worked to emphasize their importance.
“Zuffa drawing a line in the sand is going to get Opetaia stripped,” Malignaggi said. “It’s, ‘No, dude, [Zuffa] can’t play with us. … You’re out of the circle of trust.’
“This was already known by how Zuffa said it was going to go about its business.”
Opetaia said after signing with Zuffa that he believed he had the right to still pursue an undisputed cruiserweight crown.
And White sought to clarify at a Zuffa card last month that any world titlists fighting for Zuffa could also fight for the Ring [lineal] belt if the opportunity presented itself.
Yet the matter is destined for clarity as the fight nears.
“[Opetaia’s] the best cruiserweight in the world,” Malignaggi said, even as unified champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and new WBC titlist Noel Mikaelian also wear belts in the division.
“Zuffa’s the way for [Opetaia] to get notoriety. It made sense. The kid deserves it. There were more pros than cons. [With Zuffa, it’s] creating an alternate reality.”
The analysts suspect Zuffa may “want to corner the market” by signing other elite cruiserweights and making a previously neglected [and less expensive] division more relevant.
“You’ve got this big shark [Opetaia] who needs to eat,” Algieri said.
Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.
