Jai Opetaia clarified the situation regarding Brandon Glanton’s challenges.

Jai Opetaia is set to make his Zuffa Boxing debut at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Sunday (Paramount+, 5:30 p.m. ET), aiming to reaffirm his position as the top cruiserweight in the world and enhance his reputation as one of boxing’s most effective finishers. Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs), an Australian currently in his second tenure as IBF world cruiserweight champion, may be making a fifth defense against Brandon Glanton (21-3, 18 KOs), with the inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title also at stake.

This is due to a report from Salvador Rodriguez of “ESPN KnockOut,” which indicated that “the IBF has requested Opetaia to decide on the title he will contest this weekend.” The report stated that the IBF has informed Opetaia that “he can either defend the IBF title or compete for the promoter’s belt, but not both.”

Dana White, who oversees Zuffa Boxing, has expressed a desire to “eliminate sanctioning organizations,” yet Opetaia aims to unify the titles in his weight class, making it intriguing to see which belt will be contested on Sunday.

Here are the essential details regarding Opetaia and his bout with Glanton, along with insights from fellow cruiserweight Chris Billam-Smith.

Opetaia possesses immense power

Former WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith, who defeated Glanton by unanimous decision last April, asserts that Opetaia’s left hand power is crucial to his achievements.

“He has tremendous power in that left hand,” Billam-Smith remarked to ESPN this week. “He puts full force behind it, delivering it with power that he generates and the whip he incorporates. He sets it up excellently with foot and head movement and has enjoyed considerable success with it.”

Evidence of Opetaia’s punching power can be seen in the X-ray of Claudio Squeo’s jaw, which was fractured in two locations by a right hook in the fifth round last June. Squeo reportedly required three metal plates to stabilize his jaw following surgery.

In January 2025, Opetaia concluded his fight against David Nyika in Round 4 with a left hand, mirroring his KO victories over Ellis Zorro and Jordan Thompson (both in 2023).

In his latest bout in December, Opetaia delivered a powerful Round 8 KO of Huseyin Cinkara, although he later claimed he performed “poorly.” He was caught early and sustained a cut before leaving Cinkara sprawled on the canvas with a left hand. Cinkara was hospitalized with a minor neck fracture and a brain bleed—further evidence of the damage Opetaia’s left hand can inflict.

Opetaia is currently on a four-fight knockout streak (three of those opponents were previously unbeaten), and only Mairis Briedis has taken him the distance since July 2019.

Glanton’s approach should be …

Minimizing exposure to Opetaia’s left hand is certainly advisable, given the injuries it has caused just last year. Attempting to catch the southpaw with a counter when he loads up with his left hand could be beneficial but carries risks.

Opetaia (6-foot-2), who will be making his U.S. debut, faced his toughest challenge from Briedis, who hurt him and won the final rounds of their rematch in May 2024. Both fighters suffered broken noses in that encounter, and Briedis broke Opetaia’s jaw in their initial fight in 2022.

If Glanton can disrupt Opetaia’s rhythm as Briedis did in the later rounds, and keep the action at close quarters, landing punches on the inside while applying pressure, he may find some success. If Glanton can extend the fight into the later rounds, could we see Opetaia pay for overcommitting to power shots, allowing Glanton back into the contest? Or might he catch Opetaia off guard early, similar to Cinkara?

“I believe Opetaia could stop him late or win by a wide margin on points,” Billam-Smith stated. “I anticipate Opetaia will wear him down, and the body shots will take their toll. It’s what I focused on when I fought Glanton, and he could force a stoppage.”

Billam-Smith considers Glanton to be superior to many of Opetaia’s previous opponents and among the most seasoned, but he does not foresee him defeating Opetaia unless the champion makes an error.

“I don’t think Glanton’s best opportunity lies in the later rounds; he needs to catch him before the halfway mark,” Billam-Smith noted. “Glanton is powerful, but I’m uncertain he possesses the speed or timing to trouble Opetaia. I found Glanton somewhat one-dimensional, a bit methodical. However, if Opetaia does make a mistake, he could capitalize.”

Opetaia is the top contender in the division

After six title defenses across two reigns over four years, and two victories over Briedis, the former champion of the division, Opetaia is widely acknowledged as the leading cruiserweight, ahead of Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.

“We seek unification bouts, we want Ramirez; I’ve been requesting them for quite some time,” Opetaia stated following his last fight. However, Ramirez will not be next, as he is scheduled to face David Benavidez in defense of his WBA and WBO titles on May 2. Noel Mikaelian, the WBC champion, currently does not have a fight scheduled.

There has been speculation about Opetaia potentially moving up to heavyweight, but Billam-Smith advises that such plans should be postponed.

“I think he should remain at cruiserweight because I want him to fight me!” Billam-Smith, a promotional free agent, told ESPN. “However, he’s also not a large cruiserweight and would be at a significant disadvantage by moving up [in weight]. I don’t believe he’s finished at cruiserweight yet; he hasn’t faced the best. He could step up and fight someone like Deontay Wilder, who has slowed down, but I would stay at cruiserweight if I were him.”

Opetaia has dominated the division since his initial victory over Briedis in July 2022. He relinquished the IBF belt in 2023 to knock out Ellis Zorro in a round, then reclaimed the title against Briedis in May 2024.

Billam-Smith, who lost the WBO title to Ramirez last year, remarked to ESPN that Opetaia has exhibited the qualities of a champion.

“He’s faced adversity a couple of times but has managed to overcome it,” Billam-Smith stated. “He knows how to respond when he gets hurt, rather than just swinging wildly.”

“Cinkara posed some challenges, but it unfolded as anticipated. Briedis hurt him as well. However, he hasn’t faced higher-level opponents yet because his challengers have not tested him.”

Glanton, who bounced back from the loss to Billam-Smith with a Round 6 TKO victory over former light heavyweight title challenger Marcus Browne in October, will be participating in his first world title fight and enters as a significant underdog. As of Thursday, Glanton is +800 to win according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Opetaia has significant potential

If Opetaia eventually moves up to heavyweight, he would join a long list of cruiserweight champions who have successfully made that transition. Former cruiserweight champions Lawrence Okolie and Murat Gassiev are currently among the top contenders in the heavyweight division, which is dominated by former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian, who is an inch taller than Opetaia, defeated Anthony Joshua in 2021 in his third heavyweight bout and went on to become the undisputed champion in a second weight class. Usyk, who held the cruiserweight title from 2016 to 2018, has made five defenses of his heavyweight title.

Others, such as David Haye and Evander Holyfield, have also demonstrated that a cruiserweight can capture a title at heavyweight.

After unifying the cruiserweight titles in his first defense in 2008, Haye overcame significant height and weight disadvantages to claim the WBA heavyweight title from Nicolai Valuev in 2009. Haye subsequently made two defenses of his heavyweight title.

Holyfield’s ascent was particularly remarkable. He became the undisputed heavyweight champion with a KO victory over James Douglas in 1990, two years after reigning as the undisputed cruiserweight champion. “The Real Deal” made five defenses of his cruiserweight title, followed by three successful defenses as the undisputed heavyweight champion, before achieving three additional reigns with four successful defenses.

Another lighter fighter to ascend to heavyweight was Roy Jones Jr., who bypassed the cruiserweight division, moving from light heavyweight to defeat John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight title in a dominant performance in 2003. Jones weighed 193 pounds compared to Ruiz’s 226 pounds, winning the title six months after reaching the light heavyweight limit.

Boxing is in his lineage

Opetaia hails from a boxing family. His grandfather, Billy (Tapuloa) Opetaia, born in Samoa and based in New Zealand, competed as a middleweight in the 1960s. His father, Martin (Tapu) Opetaia, had seven professional bouts in the 1990s and 2000s and is now a boxing coach. His great-grandfather, Aitula Opetaia, was also a boxer in the 1950s.

Jai continued the family legacy when he represented Australia at the 2012 Olympics in London at the age of just 17.

Opetaia lost his initial bout in the heavyweight competition, which was ultimately won by Oleksandr Usyk, at the ExCel. Eleven years later, Opetaia returned to London to make his first defense of the IBF cruiserweight title, achieving a fourth-round TKO against Jordan Thompson at Wembley Arena.