Jai Opetaia Conquers Zuffa Cruiserweight World Title
In a brilliant offensive display, Jai Opetaia defeated Brandon Glanton and became the first Zuffa cruiserweight world champion, securing the victory by unanimous decision this Sunday at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The three judges awarded a score of 119-106 in favor of Opetaia. The Australian boxer, originally from the Gold Coast, dominated every round in his debut on American soil. Despite his superiority, he did not achieve a knockout due to Glanton’s notable resistance.Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) found no major difficulties against a determined but outmatched Glanton (21-4, 18 KOs). Opetaia punished him with powerful blows and an effective uppercut. Glanton was warned by the referee and had a point deducted in rounds 6 and 8 for holding and low blows, respectively. Opetaia also suffered the deduction of a point in the eleventh round for excessive holding, although the fight was already decided. The contest quickly tilted in favor of Opetaia, who landed forceful blows to Glanton’s head and body. Although Glanton was outmatched in speed and precision, he continued to pursue Opetaia without offering offense, receiving constant impacts. In the fourth round, Opetaia added uppercuts to his repertoire, proving to be the most effective punch of the fight. Opetaia submitted Glanton in the tenth round with a series of blows to the face and body, but his rival remained standing. Despite the wide advantage on the scorecards, Opetaia sought the knockout in the final round, severely hurting Glanton with a left straight and combinations. However, Glanton survived until the end. Opetaia’s situation with the IBF generated more controversy before the fight than what happened in the ring. Opetaia arrived as the IBF cruiserweight champion, but could be stripped of the title after the IBF refused to sanction the fight on Friday, alleging they had been misled by presenting the Zuffa championship as a mere recognition. Opetaia, 30 years old, signed with Zuffa Boxing in January with the aim of unifying the titles in the cruiserweight category, a goal he reiterated after the fight.“It was good. I knew Brandon would be tough. I’m glad I got the win and to enter this new chapter as Zuffa champion.”
Jai Opetaia
“I’m going after the belts. I know there’s been a lot of noise and things on social media, but I hope it gets sorted out and we can keep pursuing that goal. I haven’t lost sight of it, and I never will. I’ve been stripped once. I’ve been stripped again. I will get the belt back and become undisputed.”
Jai Opetaia
