The IBF has stripped Jai Opetaia of its cruiserweight title after withdrawing sanction from his scheduled fight with Brandon Glanton.
The sanctioning body confirmed the decision after the bout was announced as the main event of a Zuffa Boxing card. Although the promotion initially stated that the IBF belt would be on the line, the organization said the fight will now move forward without its approval.
Under IBF rules, a champion who competes in a bout that is not sanctioned by the organization within the same weight division automatically loses the title.
“With sanction withdrawn, the Opetaia vs. Glanton bout is now an Unsanctioned Contest,” the IBF said in a statement. “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Contest is a fight which the IBF has not formally approved for sanction or where sanction has been formally withdrawn.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.’”
The ruling means the IBF cruiserweight championship is now vacant ahead of the fight. Neither Opetaia nor Glanton will be able to win the belt when they meet in the ring.
Opetaia had held the IBF title since defeating Mairis Briedis in 2022. He later regained the belt after a brief period outside the organization and remained one of the division’s most recognizable champions.
Glanton enters the fight as a first-time challenger looking for the biggest victory of his career. The American contender has steadily climbed the cruiserweight ranks and was originally set to fight for the title before the sanction was withdrawn.
The bout will still go ahead as scheduled under the Zuffa Boxing banner, but the IBF belt will no longer be at stake. The fight will instead proceed as a standard non-title cruiserweight contest between the two fighters.
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Last Updated on 2026/03/06 at 11:01 PM
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