Aussie Jai Opetaia made his U.S. debut in Las Vegas Sunday night for Zuffa Boxing and putting aside the controversy of the IBF stripping him of their cruiserweight title, he looked impressive in a 12 round wipeout of American Brandon Glanton.
Even though Australian Jai Opetaia lost his International Boxing Federation cruiserweight title just 48 hours before his Sunday night fight, he still took care of things between the ropes in a 12 round easy win over American contender Brandon Glanton.
The undefeated Australian dominated Brandon Glanton from start to finish, delivering a brutal, one-sided, unanimous decision to retain the Ring Magazine's belt, the "mythical" lineal crusierweight championship and also, capture the inaugural Zuffa Boxing belt.
Fighting at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Opetaia, now 30-0, 23 KOs battered Glanton, swelling his face and bloodying his mouth while landing most of the heavy shots throughout the bout.
All three judges scored the win 119-106 for Opetaia, which was his first defense that went the distance in his last five fights. After the fight, Glanton was taken to the hospital for medical evaluation, due to the punishment he took, especially in the final 3-4 rounds.
“It was alright. I knew Brandon was going to bring and it was going to be a hard fight and I knew he was tough as nails,” Opetaia said on the Zuffa broadcast in the ring. “I’m happy I got the win as I move to this next chapter as the Zuffa champion. Let’s go.”
In addressing the IBF's sudden reversal to not sanction his defense and instead strip him of their title, Opetaia continued post-fight,
“I’m chasing the belts,” he said after the fight. “I know there’s been a lot of white noise and stuff on social media but I’m just hoping it gets worked and we can still chase that goal. I’ve not lost track of it. I never have. I’ve been stripped once before (by the IBF). I’ve been stripped again. I’ll get the belt back and I’ll become undisputed.”
Dana White, the CEO of Zuffa, hammered the organization at the post-fight press conference for their actions Friday and Saturday saying they will look to sue the IBF. He blasted them for sending representative Levi Martinez to Las Vegas, but still pulling out after the sanction fee for the title fight was paid. Plus, Opetaia and Zuffa followed the IBF weight restriction rules for title fights by having a "second weigh-in" on Sunday morning.
Nonetheless, Opetaia took control right away and never let up on Sunday night, relying heavily on his right uppercut and a body attack to wear Glanton down. The fight was marred by Glanton's repeated holding and he eventually had a point deducted midway through the bout. He later got another point deducted in the ninth round, when he blasted the champion below the belt for the second time in the fight.
At that point, that scoring was academic and the only question was whether Opetaia would get the KO? Alas, Glanton was tough enough to finish the 12 rounds.
In the end Opetaia was bestowed the "Zuffa Crusierweight" belt post-fight, also and is expected to fight on for them, including as soon as this Summer. Now, the question becomes- what kind of opponent can they get for him?