Opetaia defends cruiserweight

Jai Opetaia won a 12-round unanimous decision over Brandon Glanton — all three judges scored it 119-106 — at Zuffa Boxing 04 on March 8, 2026 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, taking the promotion’s inaugural cruiserweight title while keeping The Ring belt. ( ) CompuBox data shows Opetaia landed 234 total punches to Glanton’s 107, with Opetaia connecting around 43% overall compared with roughly 30% for Glanton. (app2.compuboxdata.com) Official bout paperwork and round sheets record point penalties: judges’ cards show Glanton was docked a point in round six and Opetaia had a point deducted in round 11, figures reflected in the 119-106 scorelines. (boxrec.com) The International Boxing Federation announced on March 6 that it had withdrawn sanction for the match, describing the Zuffa belt as being promoted as a “trophy or token of recognition” and labeling the contest an “unsanctioned contest” under IBF rules. (ibf-usba-boxing.com) After a board meeting held March 19, the IBF voted to strip Opetaia of its cruiserweight title and declared the championship vacant, a move the federation confirmed in a March 24 statement and which included a refund of Opetaia’s $73,000 in sanctioning fees. (espn.com) Post-fight notebooks and columns focused less on a single dramatic moment than on the surrounding fallout — writers highlighted the sanctions dispute and critiqued the stop-start feel created by repeated interventions and point deductions — and Zuffa’s Dana White publicly suggested the IBF’s handling could prompt legal action. ( )