History Made! Jai Opetaia Dominates Glanton Zuffa 04 Slugfest,

By LatestBoxing.com | March 9, 2026 Jai Opetaia harnessed the disappointment of being stripped of his IBF title by putting a 12-round beating on the ultra-durable Brandon Glanton at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas . 🤩 In doing so, Opetaia retained his Ring Magazine title and claimed the inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight championship, moving to 30-0 as a professional . Special thanks to Paramount+ and Zuffa Boxing for the incredible photo used in this article. --- THE RESULT There was no surprise when the cards were read out. All three judges scored it 119-106 in favor of the Australian southpaw on his U.S. debut . Despite the barrage coming his way, it took until the final round for Glanton to be wobbled—but the American pushed on to the final bell . In an at-times sloppy affair, Glanton had two points deducted (once for holding, once for low blows), while Opetaia was also penalized for holding . Glanton came in with a reputation as a durable, come-forward fighter and he lived up to it. Unfortunately for him, Opetaia was stronger and more precise at every range—picking him off on the entry and pummeling him with uppercuts in the clinch . "The coach isn't happy. It was alright. I knew Brandon was going to bring it. I knew it was going to be a hard fight and I knew he was tough as nails," Opetaia said post-fight . "I felt like I was dominating on the inside too, that's why I got a bit comfortable there, but we've got to work on that." --- THE IBF SITUATION Here's where it gets complicated. The IBF had already declared Opetaia would be stripped if this unsanctioned bout went ahead . But the Aussie completed the mandatory IBF fight-day weight check to remain in compliance—and even carried the IBF belt with him into the ring afterward . "I'm chasing the belts. I know there's a lot of white noise, a lot of stuff on social media, but I'm just hoping it gets worked out," Opetaia added . "I've been stripped once before, I'll get the belt back and become undisputed." --- WHAT'S NEXT? The cruiserweight kingpin made his intentions clear: he wants the winner of David Benavidez vs. Gilberto Ramirez, who fight for the WBA and WBO titles in May . That's the path to undisputed. --- ONE QUESTION FOR THE COMMENTS: Does this dominant performance make Jai Opetaia the best cruiserweight in the world? A) 100%—he's levels above everyone else B) Not yet—he needs to unify the belts first C) Someone else (tell us who!) And who should he fight next? Benavidez? Ramirez? Drop your thoughts below Photo taken from Zuffa Boxing

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