Jai Opetaia Admits Undisputed Talk Ends If He Slips Sunday

The IBF cruiserweight champion wants the winner of Gilberto Ramirez and David Benavidez

Jai Opetaia says his pursuit of undisputed status depends on beating Brandon Glanton this weekend. The IBF cruiserweight champion knows a loss would end that conversation.

The IBF cruiserweight champion has spoken about unifying and targeting the winner of Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and David Benavidez. Those plans depend on a clean result in his first bout under the Zuffa Boxing banner. A loss would end that conversation.

“Unless I take care of business on the eighth of March, it is all imagination. It’s all just talk,” Opetaia said to Dan Rafael’s Fight Freaks Unite.

Opetaia enters undefeated with 29 wins and 23 knockouts, including four straight stoppages. The recent run has been decisive, though not built against the deepest end of the division. Sunday presents a different type of test. Glanton is not ranked among the elite, but his style forces work.

“He’s tough. He’s gritty. And he wants to win,” Opetaia said. “He’s got a big engine, he keeps walking forward, and he’s just ready to have a crack. He’s dangerous the whole fight, so you got to be switched on. You got to be ready to get in the trenches, and we are.”

Glanton, 21-3 with 18 knockouts. He relies on accumulation and persistence.

Opetaia believes the difference is skill and timing. “We box smart, we do our thing,” he said. “Our skill levels are completely different, but he’s big, he’s strong. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see our styles and how this fight matches up.”

The larger objective remains clear. Opetaia wants all four belts at cruiserweight before the end of the year. That target holds only if he wins without complication. A difficult night would stall the path and raise fresh questions about readiness for unification.

For now, the task is narrow. Win, maintain control, and leave no opening for doubt. For Opetaia, this means that his undisputed conversation continues only if he wins.