IBF Strips Jai Opetaia, Withdraws Sanction From Glanton Fight

Sanctioning body withdraws approval after bout was promoted for Zuffa cruiserweight title

The IBF has stripped Jai Opetaia of the cruiserweight title after withdrawing sanction from his fight with Brandon Glanton. The ruling means the belt is now vacant before the bout takes place.

BoxingScene reporter Jake Donovan later reported that the IBF initially approved the fight after Team Opetaia assured the organization that any belt awarded by Zuffa would be treated only as a “trophy or token of recognition.” The sanction was withdrawn after the bout was promoted for Zuffa’s newly created cruiserweight title.

The sanctioning body confirmed the decision after the bout was announced as the main event of a Zuffa Boxing card. The ruling was first reported by veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael. Although the promotion initially said the IBF belt would be on the line, the organization later said the fight will move forward without its approval.

Under IBF rules, a champion who competes in a bout that is not sanctioned by the organization within the same weight division automatically loses the title.

“With sanction withdrawn, the Opetaia vs. Glanton bout is now an Unsanctioned Contest,” the IBF said in a statement. “IBF Rule 5.H. states in part: ‘An Unsanctioned Contest is a fight which the IBF has not formally approved for sanction or where sanction has been formally withdrawn. If a Champion participates in an unsanctioned contest within his prescribed weight limit, the title will be declared vacant whether the Champion wins or loses the bout.’”

The decision leaves the IBF cruiserweight championship vacant ahead of the fight. Neither Opetaia nor Glanton will be able to win the belt when they meet in the ring.

Opetaia first won the IBF title by defeating Mairis Briedis in 2022. He later regained the belt after a short period outside the organization and remained one of the division’s most recognizable champions.

Glanton enters the fight as a first-time challenger looking for the biggest win of his career. The American contender has climbed the cruiserweight ranks and had originally been scheduled to challenge for the title before the sanction was withdrawn.

The bout will still go ahead under the Zuffa Boxing banner, but the IBF belt will no longer be at stake. The fight will proceed as a non-title cruiserweight contest between the two fighters.