Opetaia Becomes First-Ever Zuffa Boxing World Champion

Jai Opetaia etched his name into the history books as the first-ever Zuffa Boxing Cruiserweight World Champion. 

The Australian dismantled Brandon Glanton in a lopsided unanimous decision, with scorecards of 119-106 across the board. The opening round was a cautious affair as Opetaia established his jab. By the third, he found his rhythm, noticeably staggering Glanton with a sharp, straight left hand just before the bell. From the mid-point through the championship rounds, Opetaia’s superior footwork kept Glanton hitting air.

Post-Fight

Glanton showed immense grit to stay on his feet but was never able to mount a significant offensive threat. In the final round, Opetaia went for the kill, throwing a punishing sequence of uppercuts and body shots. While Glanton managed to survive to the final bell, he was thoroughly outclassed in every metric.The punch stats told the story of a one-sided encounter, with Opetaia effectively doubling the output of his opponent: 250 punches to Glanton’s 118.

“I’m chasing the belts. I know there’s been a lot of white noise and stuff, a lot of stuff on social media, but I’m just hoping it gets worked out and we can still chase that goal. I have not lost track of it, and I never have. I’ve been stripped once before. I’ve been stripped again. I’ll get the [IBF] belt back, and I’ll become undisputed,” Opetaia said

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