IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia is on a collision course with first-time title challenger Brandon Glanton. Their 12-round title bout will headline Zuffa Boxing 04 on Sunday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. However, ahead of the fight, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) issued an update regarding the Aussie’s belt. The ruling means Opetaia will be stripped of the title regardless of the outcome of the bout—even if he wins.

“The IBF announced that Opetaia will be stripped for not following its rules,” veteran journalist Dan Rafael wrote on X. “Per IBF: With [the] sanction withdrawn, the Opetaia vs. Glanton bout is now an Unsanctioned Contest. 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Contest is a fight which the IBF has not formally approved for sanction or where sanction has been formally withdrawn.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.'”

Per IBF’s press release, they were told by Opetaia’s team that any belt awarded by Zuffa Boxing after a win will serve as a “trophy or token of recognition.” However, this sharply contradicted claims from Friday’s pre-fight press conference at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where it was made clear that the fight was being treated as an unification with Zuffa Boxing’s inaugural cruiserweight title. 

Notably, Jai Opetaia also claimed he would defend the IBF belt in his upcoming bout during the presser. And the Aussie emphasized that his goal remains to become the undisputed champion, a task he can’t complete without fighting for the belts supplied by the four main sanctioning bodies in the sport. However, with IBF’s decision, even if Opetaia ends up fighting Noel Mikaelian and ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez next for titles, he won’t be able to become undisputed.

It’s also worth noting that Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing had previously claimed that they won’t entertain work with boxing’s four sanctioning bodies. However, they made an exception when they signed Jai Opetaia, the promotion’s first active champion, in January this year. Now, the unbeaten Australian will only defend the Ring Magazine cruiserweight title and the inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title against Glanton.

The Aussie had previously vacated the IBF belt in December 2023 after the IBF ordered him to face mandatory challenger Mairis Briedis in a rematch. Instead, Opetaia took a non-title fight against Ellis Zorro. He regained the belt when he finally took on Briedis in May 2024 and won the fight. Regardless, the IBF’s ruling also means Jai Opetaia may also lose out on another mega fight. 

David Benavidez was eyeing a Jai Opetaia fight

Before IBF’s decision today, David Benavidez recently crossed paths with Jai Opetaia and made it clear that he would welcome a showdown in the future. Benavidez, who is preparing for a clash with Gilberto Ramirez on May 2, said seeing Opetaia up close only increased his interest in the matchup. 

“I have a lot of respect for you,” Benavidez told Opetaia during their encounter. “You’re a great fighter. I definitely want to get a fight in with you in the future.”

‘The Mexican Monster’ later expanded on the interaction, praising Opetaia’s abilities while hinting at what could be a major fight down the road. 

“I have a lot of respect for Opetaia, I got no bad words for him,” Benavidez said. “But I let him know that we’re definitely going to get that fight in the future.” 

It looks like signing with Zuffa Boxing was a big mistake for Jai Opetaia’s dream to become the cruiserweight undisputed champion. Will this create a rift between the Aussie and Zuffa?