IBF reviewing Jai Opetaia title status after Glanton fight

The IBF has not yet decided whether to strip Jai Opetaia of his cruiserweight title after his recent fight with Brandon Glanton, leaving the champion’s status under review.

Jake Donovan reported that the sanctioning body continues to examine the circumstances surrounding Opetaia’s March 8 bout with Glanton. The fight went ahead after the IBF withdrew its sanctioning from the event earlier in fight week.

Opetaia defeated Glanton by unanimous decision in the main event of the Zuffa Boxing card. At the time, the bout was considered a breach of an IBF rule that discourages reigning titleholders from competing in unsanctioned fights.

The IBF confirmed that the situation remains under review.

“The status of the IBF cruiserweight title remains in deliberation,” the organization said in a statement. “Jai Opetaia made comments during the post-fight press conference that have led the organization’s leadership to question whether he was made completely and fully aware by his advisors of the decisions he needed to make when committing to the bout against Brandon Glanton.

“The organization intends to look further into this matter.”

Before the dispute during fight week, Opetaia’s team worked with representatives to secure IBF sanctioning. A wire transfer of $73,000 covering sanctioning fees tied to the fighters’ purses and the promoter’s share was sent through Sean Gibbons’ Knucklehead Boxing.

The IBF later returned the payment after withdrawing sanctioning on March 6, hours after the pre-fight press conference. The organization confirmed the money was wired back to Knucklehead Boxing the following day.

Zuffa Boxing promoted the contest as being for its own cruiserweight championship and publicly advertised the bout as its inaugural title fight. The promotion has previously stated that it does not intend to work with boxing’s sanctioning bodies.

Opetaia remains the IBF cruiserweight champion while the organization continues to review the case and determine whether disciplinary action will follow.