IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia will face American contender Brandon Glanton on March 8 in Las Vegas. The Ring Magazine cruiserweight title and the newly created “Zuffa Title,” established by Dana White’s new promotional company and event organizer, will definitely be on the line. However, it remains unclear how the IBF will position itself regarding this bout.
Technically, Brandon Glanton meets the requirements to be selected as a challenger for a voluntary world title defense under the organization’s rules. The American is currently ranked No. 15 in the IBF standings and therefore falls within the group of fighters eligible to be chosen by the reigning champion.
Nevertheless, in the announcement posted on social media by the official Zuffa Boxing and The Ring accounts, the IBF title is not mentioned. Furthermore, no reference to the International Boxing Federation belt appears on the event poster.
According to IBF rules, if Opetaia were to take part in a professional cruiserweight bout not explicitly sanctioned by the federation, he would be stripped of his title. The relevant rule states that if a champion participates in an unsanctioned contest within his weight limit, the title will be declared vacant regardless of whether he wins or loses the bout.
Such a scenario would be a bitter blow for the Australian fighter, who has repeatedly stated—both before and after signing with Zuffa Boxing—that his goal is to unify the four world titles and that he does not intend to move up to heavyweight before achieving that objective.
However, American journalist Dan Rafael has sought to calm concerns in recent hours, assuring everyone that the IBF title, despite not being mentioned in the promotional announcements, will indeed be at stake.
What seems certain is that, although his venture into the boxing world is only just beginning, Dana White already appears to be struggling with numerous contradictions.
The architect of the much-celebrated “UFC model” in mixed martial arts has publicly stated that he does not wish to collaborate with existing boxing sanctioning bodies and that he intends to reduce boxing’s weight classes to the original eight historical divisions. Yet he now finds himself promoting a world title fight in the “hybrid” cruiserweight division after signing a fighter who aims to unify the belts of the “old” organizations.
The impression is that Zuffa Boxing is navigating without a clear course, clashing day after day with the vast difference between what it would like to do and what can realistically be done in the real world.
One final aspect worth mentioning is that The Ring magazine, according to its own rules, should strip Jai Opetaia of its title if he does not at least schedule a fight against one of the top five ranked contenders by May. It was in May two years ago that the Australian faced Mairis Briedis, his last elite opponent, before going on to fight challengers who were not at the top of the magazine’s rankings.
Many suspect, however, that The Ring’s editorial staff will find a loophole to bypass its own rule, given that the magazine’s owner, Saudi official Turki Alalshikh, is also the financial backer of Dana White and the entire Zuffa Boxing project—placing the respected American publication in a clear conflict of interest.
The tangled situation could be resolved if, as some insiders speculate, a fight between Jai Opetaia and current WBC world champion Noel Mikaelian—who is ranked No. 4 by The Ring—is officially announced before the deadline.
All that remains is to wait and see how the entire matter unfolds.