Jai Opetaia ought to be the most prominent figure in Australian boxing, with a significant lead over the second place. The cruiserweight champion, who hails from Sydney but competes out of the Gold Coast, has overwhelmed every opponent willing to step into the ring with him, securing both the IBF and Ring world championship titles to affirm his status among the sport’s contemporary greats.
Throughout his professional career, Opetaia has achieved 23 knockouts in 29 bouts, winning the remaining six by decision. He has defended a world title seven times, was recently placed third in Max Kellerman’s rankings of the best pound-for-pound boxers globally, and, if all goes according to plan, may soon unify the cruiserweight division.
Despite his remarkable achievements, the accolades he is accumulating, and the path he is carving, Opetaia remains significantly underappreciated by a large portion of the Australian public. As has been the trend for several years, more focus appears to be directed towards the spectacle surrounding former athletes, past stars, and those who fail to substantiate their constant trash talk.
“We’re not here to be superstars and the most famous fighter,” Opetaia tells ESPN. “We don’t like drama. We stay in our lane, you know.
“The media loves drama. We just love hard work and doing what we’ve got to do. It doesn’t get as much traction as the drama, but it is what it is. We just want to be undisputed and then go and hang out with our families.”
This goal of unification has been at the forefront of Opetaia’s thoughts for the last two years, and after several unsuccessful attempts to finalize a date with either Gilberto Ramirez (WBA/WBO) or Noel Mikaelian (WBC), he chose to sign an intriguing contract with Zuffa Boxing — the new fight promotion by Dana White and Turki Al-Sheikh that operates under a model similar to the UFC.
Opetaia will make his Zuffa Boxing debut this Saturday evening [Sunday afternoon AEDT] in Las Vegas, facing American Brandon Glanton (21-3, 18 KOs) for the promotion’s first world title. Like the initial three Zuffa Boxing events held in the first quarter of 2026, Opetaia and Glanton will headline a Meta APEX fight card that will be streamed on Paramount+.
READ: Everything you need to know about Zuffa Boxing
Some boxing enthusiasts may perceive Opetaia’s transition to Zuffa Boxing as a lateral move, while others may see it as a regression, but the Australian is confident that this pivotal decision will lead to the undisputed opportunity he has long sought.
“Zuffa Boxing has changed the game. These are the cards you’ve got to be on,” Opetaia explains. “[Before I signed] there was a mention of unification. We’ve obviously got a job to do before we get there [but] they said that they can get me the WBC. The WBO and the WBA, they’re being a bit harder for us to deal with, but I’m confident that if we keep winning, these fights have to happen.
“This is undisputed we’re talking about. If we’re not here to be undisputed in this game then what are we doing? I feel like once there’s one more fight to be made to become undisputed, whether it’s me or them, I feel like it has to happen. I feel like Zuffa is going to be a big chapter in this boxing era.”
Opetaia’s first appearance with Zuffa Boxing comes three months after his last fight, which marked his seventh defense of his Ring cruiserweight title and fourth defense of the IBF belt. Opetaia defeated Huseyin Cinkara with a devastating eighth-round knockout, leaving the German veteran unconscious on the canvas for several minutes. Cinkara was subsequently taken to the hospital, where scans revealed he had sustained a neck fracture.
Glanton, on the other hand, fought twice in 2025. The 33-year-old from Atlanta, who has been on the verge of a world title for much of his career, lost by unanimous decision to former WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith in April, before bouncing back with a sixth-round stoppage victory over Marcus Browne in October.
“I know he’s tough. I know he’s strong. And I know he’s going to come to fight,” Opetaia said of Glanton, despite entering the match as a heavy favorite with bookmakers. “Regardless of who I’m fighting, we prepare for war. We’ve been training hard and we’re ready to go. I’m f—ing ready!
“In a perfect world, I beat Brandon and then I go on to win the WBC, and then the WBO and WBA. The WBC is with Mikaelian. The WBO and WBA is with Ramirez. Ramirez is fighting David Benavidez and we’re hoping to get the winner of that by the end of this year.”
