(Zuffa Boxing)
The officials have been named for the Jai Opetaia-Brandon Glanton world cruiserweight championship.
What has yet to be determined, is whether Opetaia’s IBF title will be at stake for the event.
Veteran referee Allen Huggins (New Jersey) was appointed as the third man in the ring for the Zuffa Boxing 04 main event this Sunday. The three judges assigned for the contest are Eric Cheek (Nevada), David Sutherland (Oklahoma) and Patricia Morse Jarman (Nevada).
Paramount+ will air their scheduled 12-round championship contest this Sunday from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For now, Australia’s Opetaia, 29-0 (23 KOs) will defend his RING crown while he and Atlanta’s Glanton, 21-3 (18 KOs) will compete for the inaugural Zuffa championship.
Opetaia is a two-time IBF titleholder, though the bout has yet to be sanctioned by the New Jersey-headquartered organization.
“We are still deliberating on the entirety of the situation and aren’t making a public statement at this time,” an IBF spokesperson informed BoxingScene.
The matter is significant given Zuffa’s defiant stance against working with the sanctioning bodies. An exception was claimed to have been made upon signing Opetaia, who has been vocal in his determination to become undisputed cruiserweight champion.
However, it remains unclear whether Zuffa will feature its first alphabet title fight or if Opetaia is at risk of becoming a former two-time IBF titleholder.
His first reign ended when Opetaia opted for a fight with Ellis Zorro as part of a December 2023 Riyadh Season show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Zorro was not ranked by the IBF at the time, not to mention that Opetaia was already due to make a mandatory title defense against Mairis Briedis, whom he defeated for the crown in their July 2022 meeting.
Opetaia defeated Zorro via 1st round knockout, to defend The Ring championship. He eventually fought Briedis a second time, winning via unanimous decision in May 2024 to regain the IBF strap which he’s since defended four times. Included among the run was a mandatory title defense against Huseyin Cinkara, whom Opetaia knocked out in the 8th round last December 6 at Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Australia.
Per IBF rules, Opetaia is entitled to a voluntary defense. However, all title fights require sanctioning body approval.
It is not immediately clear whether the proper steps were taken in this case….
2026-03-04 01:04:10
