Zuffa Boxing has secured its most significant acquisition to date, announcing the signing of lineal, Ring and IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia. The deal was confirmed Friday by both parties, and while no debut date has yet been announced, the move immediately positions Opetaia as the highest-profile fighter aligned with the upstart boxing venture.
Tasman Boxing, Opetaia’s longtime home promoter, confirmed the agreement is structured as a partnership involving Zuffa Boxing, Goldstar Promotions and manager Spencer Brown. Tasman CEO Mick Francis said the collaboration was designed to place Opetaia on the sport’s biggest stages against the strongest possible opposition.
Opetaia enters the deal on the back of a dominant 2025 campaign in which he scored three knockout wins over unbeaten opponents. His most recent outing saw the 30-year-old southpaw violently stop IBF mandatory challenger Huseyin Cinkara on December 6 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. Earlier in the year, he dispatched David Nyika in four rounds and Claudio Squeo in five, though Opetaia made clear his frustration at being unable to secure fights with the division’s other titleholders.
Despite Zuffa’s stated lack of interest in working with boxing’s sanctioning bodies, Opetaia has not abandoned his goal of full cruiserweight unification. In a video confirming the signing, he spoke of pursuing “unifications” and “undisputed” status, mentioning his desire to face the remaining belt holders but how that ambition aligns with Zuffa’s business model remains an open question.
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