ESPN reporter Salvador Rodriguez said the IBF asked Opetaia to decide after reviewing the promotion’s plan to introduce its own championship during the card.
The situation places Opetaia between the traditional sanctioning-body structure that governs recognized world titles and a promotion attempting to introduce its own belt as part of its launch.
Sanctioning bodies sometimes approve bouts that involve titles from multiple organizations, though the IBF made clear its championship will not appear on a fight that also introduces a promoter-created belt.
Opetaia has already experienced one interruption involving the IBF title. His first reign ended in 2023 when he chose a fight with Ellis Zorro rather than meeting mandatory challenger Mairis Briedis. Opetaia stopped Zorro in the opening round before later facing Briedis in a rematch and reclaiming the IBF championship by unanimous decision in May 2024.
He also holds The Ring cruiserweight championship, which operates independently and is not governed by sanctioning body approval.
Sunday’s fight will still move forward once the choice is made. The event marks Opetaia’s first bout in the United States since joining the Zuffa promotion, which has positioned the contest as an early step in its attempt to establish a new title structure.
Opetaia now has to decide which belt he will carry into the ring on Sunday, a choice that shows how far apart boxing’s sanctioning bodies and the new Zuffa promotion remain on the question of titles.
The Opetaia-Glanton fight will take place this Sunday at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas as the main event of Zuffa Boxing 04. Opetaia enters the fight undefeated through 29 professional contests, producing 23 knockouts during that run. Glanton arrives from Atlanta with 21 victories against three defeats and has finished 18 opponents inside the distance.
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