Now the real "fun" begins. On Monday the International Boxing Federation officially stripped cruiserweight champ Jai Opetaia of Australia after he competed in a bout earlier this month that they did not sanction. And, Opetaia and Zuffa Boxing, which staged his fight, are threatening to sue.
The International Boxing Federation officially announced on Monday that it has stripped Jai Opetaia of their cruiserweight world title for the second time, following he decision to align with Zuffa boxing and fight a main event bout for them earlier this month in Las Vegas.
The Aussie Opetaia, 30-0, 23 KOs delivered a dominant performance in that fight on March 8th against American Brandon Glanton winning by unanimous decision with identical scorecards of 119-106. But, the drama was far more compelling outside the ring.
The bout headlined Zuffa's most prominent fight card, yet and appeared, at least initially, to include the IBF title. However, the sanctioning body decided to withdraw its approval roughly 48 hours before the fight took place, thus, rendering the contest unsanctioned under its rules.
The timeline leading up to the organization's decision was unusually chaotic. The IBF first agreed to sanction the fight on March 3rd, formally approved it on March 5th, and then reversed course on March 6th . The reversal came after it became clear that the fight would also crown the inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight champion—a title the IBF does not recognize.
Although the bout had long been promoted as featuring both titles, the IBF later claimed it had been assured the Zuffa belt would only be symbolic.
Opetaia had become the most prominent fighter yet to join the upstart Zuffa, a Saudi-backed promotion led by Dana White, who has expressed a desire to reshape boxing by creating a self-contained system similar to the UFC. In the post fight White said they would be looking to sue the IBF for their conduct and threatening to strip Opetaia.
Despite losing the IBF belt, Opetaia still retains his status as the lineal cruiserweight champion and successfully defended that distinction for the eighth time with his victory over Glanton. Still, the IBF’s decision represents a major setback to his ambition of becoming the undisputed champion by unifying all four major belts.
White has repeatedly publicly criticized sanctioning bodies in the past, though he initially appeared willing to cooperate in Opetaia’s case/defense. That cooperation seemed to break down after a press conference on March 6, where the Zuffa title was prominently featured on the dais. The IBF later cited that event as evidence that its conditions had been misrepresented, prompting the withdrawal of their sanction of the bout as world title fight.
It's no secret that IBF president Daryl Peoples was displeased that the organization’s belt appeared secondary to the Zuffa title during promotional activities. The IBF maintained that, under its rules, any champion participating in an unsanctioned bout automatically forfeits the title, regardless of the outcome.
Legal tensions have already begun to escalate over the past three weeks.
A Las Vegas attorney representing Opetaia issued a series of letters to other organizations and promoters alleging that the IBF’s actions were part of a broader, coordinated effort within the boxing industry to punish fighters who align with Zuffa Boxing. Insider Dan Rafael was sent one of those letters by the Vegas firm that claims the late withdrawal caused financial and reputational harm and suggests possible legal consequences for those involved.
This marks the second time Opetaia has been stripped of the IBF title, having previously regained it after a similar situation in 2023.
The IBF has not yet announced a fight for the now-vacant belt, though several top-ranked contenders are in play to fight for their championship.