Jai Opetaia remains focused on collecting all the belts – not just the ones recognized by his current promoter.
The longtime lineal and Ring cruiserweight champion has insisted that his IBF 200lbs belt will be on the line when he faces first-time title challenger Brandon Glanton, 21-3 (18 KOs). Their scheduled 12-round championship affair headlines Zuffa Boxing 04 on Sunday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Much was made about the status of the IBF title, which has become a complicated matter. Zuffa brass insisted that it has no intention of working with the sanctioning bodies, though admitted that an exception was made when the promoter signed Australia’s Opetaia, 29-0 (23 KOs), its first active champion.
For now, that promise remains intact.
“We are defending the IBF title,” Opetaia confirmed to BoxingScene, a stance he repeated during Friday’s pre-fight press conference at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas. “That’s all been sorted out. I can’t become undisputed if they’re not on the same path as us.
“So I’m happy to fight for all the belts and just make sure this undisputed thing happens.”
IBF officials previously told BoxingScene that they “are still deliberating on the entirety of the situation and aren’t making a public statement at this time.”
That stance has not changed as this story goes to publication.
It also doesn’t mean that both statements can’t be true.
Other outlets have reported that the IBF was prepared to deliver an ultimatum to Opetaia: defend the sanctioning body belt or fight for the newly created but yet-to-be-recognized Zuffa championship. BoxingScene has not yet been able to verify such information.
Absent a statement from the IBF in the next 48 hours stating otherwise, Opetaia plans to make his fifth defense of the belt. The unbeaten Aussie regained it in a May 2024 repeat win over former lineal champ Mairis Briedis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The belt was vacant at the time because Opetaia was stripped for proceeding with a December 2023 fight versus unranked contender Ellis Zorro, in lieu of a mandatory defense versus Briedis. The development ended his title stay after 17 months, dating back to when he dethroned Briedis in their July 2022 thriller in his current home region of Broadbeach, Australia.
Opetaia’s Ring Magazine championship reign went uninterrupted. In fact, he is due to make the eighth defense of that crown, the most ever for the publication at that weight.
Zuffa recognizes the Ring belt and – in the event of two separate reigning champions – would recognize such a clash as a unification. Ring Magazine is owned by Turki Alalshikh, a partner in Zuffa Boxing along with UFC president Dana White, Sela and WWE/TKO’s Nick Khan (TKO Group Holdings is the parent company of WWE, UFC and Zuffa).
Upon Opetaia’s signing with the company, the 30-year-old southpaw was asked to pose in a mock face-off with WBC titlist Noel Mikaelian, 28-3 (12 KOs), last month in Vegas. The photo-op created instant speculation that the two would meet on this show, but both sides immediately shut down such talks and confirmed there is work to be done even for a future showdown.
“To be honest, I wasn’t really keen to do that face-off,” Opetaia openly admitted, true to his reputation as a straight shooter – as evidenced by his not (yet) dumping the IBF title, despite the company’s stance. “We’re not even fighting him, so why waste that opportunity? They asked me to do it, so I’ve done it.
“Besides that – look, I’ve got a job to do on the eighth. Until I get that job done, it’s just all talk. On Sunday, I need to deliver. All these other fights, we can talk about those on Monday.”
Hopefully by then, there will also come a clearer indication on whether he still has a pathway to undisputed championship status.
