Rival questions Brandon Glanton’s hopes of handling southpaw Jai Opetaia

The key to Brandon Glanton’s chances against Jai Opetaia lies in his ability to handle the Australian’s southpaw stance, according to one of their leading rivals.

Glanton and Opetaia – widely recognised as the world’s finest cruiserweight – on Sunday contest the lightly regarded Zuffa title that led to Opetaia being stripped of his title from the IBF, and will do so at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

As the European champion Poland’s Mateusz Masternak is among those invested in the outcome, and while he’s an admirer of the 34-year-old Glanton’s physicality he is also wary of his defence.

Masternak on April 4 at The O2 Arena in London, England defends his title against the Englishman Viddal Riley, and perhaps is aware that victory could take him into contention to fight the busy Opetaia later in 2026.

He, like Riley, considers the 30-year-old Opetaia to be the world’s finest cruiserweight, but he told BoxingScene: “I believe he’s a good fighter. He won two fights with Mairis Briedis, but I don’t believe we know him entirely yet.

“He’s got lots of skills and he’s left-handed. He’s got a strong punch. But in his last two bouts he took a punch and he wobbled – so, at cruiserweight, he can withstand it. He wants to go to heavyweight – I don’t know if he could be tough enough to withstand it at heavyweight.

“He’s very tough, mentally. He enters the fight very quickly, and he wants to win, but I don’t believe he respects his rivals. I believe he’s like a copy of Derek Chisora, but at cruiserweight. He keeps on pushing all the time; shortens the distance; exerts pressure.”

Masternak in 2023 lost to Chris Billam-Smith, who in 2025 defeated Glanton, and he said of the American: “He’s a very tough fighter, and I believe that he can win if he doesn’t allow himself to be punched, and it’s going to be a very good fight.

“[He applies] good pressure. He’s physically strong. He’s got good fitness. He’s got a few holes in his defence, and that could be his problem. Opetaia is fast, so he could take a hit.

“Opetaia by knockout [is my prediction]. He’s fast. I believe he can win. It depends on his rival – how good he is to fight left-handed boxers. In USA, there’s not so many left-handed boxers, so it’s a different position.”