IBF declines to approve Jai Opetaia versus Brandon Glanton bout

Shortly after Jai Opetaia announced his intention to defend his IBF cruiserweight title against Brandon Glanton on Sunday while also contending for the inaugural Zuffa Boxing Championship, the IBF declared that it would no longer sanction the title defense.

In a statement released Friday evening, the IBF indicated that it had retracted its sanctioning of the bout after being misinformed that Zuffa’s championship would merely be an item described as a “trophy or token of recognition.”

During a press conference earlier that day in Las Vegas, Opetaia mentioned that both the IBF and Zuffa Boxing titles would be at stake, which would classify the event as a unification match.

However, Zuffa Boxing is not an organization recognized by the IBF and does not adhere to the same mandated regulations that the IBF follows.

“An Unsanctioned Contest is a fight that the IBF has not officially approved for sanction or where sanction has been formally withdrawn,” the IBF’s statement noted. “If a Champion engages in an unsanctioned contest within his designated weight limit, the title will be deemed vacant regardless of whether the Champion wins or loses the fight.”

If Opetaia goes ahead with the bout, he will lose the title for a second time—the first instance occurring in 2023 when he chose to face Ellis Zorro instead of his mandatory challenger, Mairis Briedis.

Opetaia joined Zuffa Boxing in January with the goal of achieving undisputed status while also competing for their inaugural title.

“We just want to be undisputed and then go and hang out with our families,” Opetaia stated in a recent interview with ESPN. “This is undisputed we’re discussing. If we’re not here to be undisputed in this sport, then what are we doing?”