In the end, Jai Opetaia’s decision to sign with Zuffa Boxing has cost the Australian fighter his IBF world title. The U.S.-based organization has stripped Opetaia of his belt after he faced American Brandon Glanton in a bout contested for the newly created “Zuffa Title,” which the IBF refused to sanction.
In the months leading up to the fight, it was unclear whether the IBF belt would be on the line or not, partly due to the organization’s reluctance to respond to persistent questions from journalists on the matter.
The turning point came during the final press conference promoting the event, where Opetaia and Dana White publicly stated that the IBF title would indeed be at stake.
Shortly thereafter came the decision not to sanction the fight, a move that naturally led to the recent stripping of the title. The reasons given by the IBF lie in the fact that the Zuffa belt had initially been presented as a simple honorary trophy with no real value, but during the “incriminating” press conference it became clear that the organizers intended to treat it as a full-fledged world title.
Such conduct clashes with IBF rules, which require formal approval for “unification” bouts. For this reason, the federation felt justified in stepping in.
Based on Opetaia’s past statements, in which he has consistently expressed his desire to unify the four universally recognized world titles, what has happened represents a serious blow to the Australian fighter’s ambitions. Opetaia is now left holding only the Zuffa belt, of questionable prestige, and The Ring title, which technically should be stripped from him soon as well for not having faced any top contender in the last two years.
We will see whether the fighter and his team will choose to challenge the decision through legal action or whether Opetaia will move forward without looking back.
Naturally, many are now wondering who will next hold the IBF cruiserweight title, which has just become vacant. The two highest-ranked fighters in the organization’s official rankings are Britain’s Chris Billam-Smith and Poland’s Mateusz Masternak, who on April 4 will face Britain’s Viddal Riley (ranked No. 7) in London. It is therefore highly likely that the winner of that bout will be formally invited to face Billam-Smith for the vacant title.