Eddie Hearn Says Jai Opetaia “Went Stale” Before Zuffa Move

Matchroom promoter says the cruiserweight champion needed a change after his career activity slowed

Eddie Hearn says Jai Opetaia needed to make a change after his career activity slowed. The Matchroom promoter said the cruiserweight champion had “gone stale” before pursuing a deal linked to Zuffa Boxing.

Opetaia holds the IBF cruiserweight title and remains widely regarded as one of the most talented fighters in the division. The 29-year-old southpaw drew attention with his victory over Mairis Briedis in 2022, a fight that elevated expectations about the type of matchups that could follow. Those expectations have proven difficult to fulfill in the cruiserweight division, where major fights have often been difficult to finalize.

Hearn said the decision to move in a new direction made sense from Opetaia’s side, even if the immediate results have not yet delivered the type of opposition that had been discussed publicly.

“I think it’s a good move for him because I think he needed to do something because he was going stale,” Hearn said to Boxing News Online when discussing Opetaia’s position in the division.

Opetaia is scheduled to face Brandon Glanton in his next fight, though Hearn suggested the matchup does not reflect the bigger fights that were expected when talk of Zuffa’s entry into boxing began circulating.

“You can’t sit there and go, ‘I’m moving to Zuffa because I’m going to get the big unification fights,’ and then fight Brandon Glanton,” Hearn said. “You’re just doing the same thing that you’ve done for the last year.”

Glanton previously faced Chris Billam-Smith in a bout that ended in a wide decision defeat, which has led to questions about how much the upcoming fight advances Opetaia’s position among the leading names at cruiserweight.

Hearn also acknowledged that the difficulty in landing major fights has not necessarily been Opetaia’s responsibility. The promoter pointed to the practical challenge of securing willing opponents in a division where several contenders have followed separate promotional paths.

“It’s not his fault because people haven’t been wanting to fight him,” Hearn said when discussing the situation surrounding the champion’s activity.

Opetaia’s skill set inside the ring has rarely been in doubt, yet the division has struggled to produce the kind of matchups that clarify its hierarchy. The move connected to Zuffa has been viewed by some observers as an attempt to open a different path toward those opportunities.

Whether that change leads to the fights that define the division will become clearer after the next defense, which for now follows a familiar pattern of activity around one of cruiserweight’s most highly regarded champions.