IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia will face Brandon Glanton for the inaugural Zuffa Boxing Cruiserweight World Championship on March 8 at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs), fighting out of Gold Coast, Australia, signed with Zuffa Boxing last month in what marked the first major signing for the promotion helmed by UFC CEO Dana White. Widely regarded as the best cruiserweight in the sport, Opetaia now has the opportunity to become the promotion’s first world champion.
Zuffa Boxing did not reference Opetaia’s IBF title in its official announcement. While the expectation is that the IBF belt will also be at stake, there has been no official confirmation from Opetaia or the sanctioning body. Opetaia enters the bout off a brutal eighth-round knockout of Huseyin Cinkara in December, his fourth consecutive stoppage victory. He previously voiced frustration over being unable to secure unification fights with other champions before aligning with Zuffa.
Glanton (21-3, 18 KOs), of Atlanta, steps into the biggest fight of his career. He has previously fallen short against Chris Billam-Smith, Soslan Asbarov and David Light, but rebounded with a stoppage win over Marcus Browne last October. Notably, Glanton has never been knocked out.
Fight card:
▪️Jai Opetaia vs. Brandon Glanton, 12 rounds, for the Ring Magazine Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight world championship
