Jai Opetaia stayed unbeaten after beating Brandon Glanton by unanimous decision in Las Vegas on Sunday night, with all three judges scoring the fight 119-106. The Australian southpaw was in control across the 12 rounds and claimed the inaugural Zuffa cruiserweight title in the process.
Fighting in the United States for the first time, Opetaia set the pace early and never let it go. He was sharper, cleaner and more accurate throughout the main event at Meta Apex, breaking Glanton down with heavy shots to the head and body and repeatedly finding success with the uppercut. Glanton kept coming forward and showed toughness, but he was outboxed for most of the night.
The fight had already drawn attention before the opening bell after the International Boxing Federation withdrew its sanctioning two days earlier. The IBF said it had approved the bout on the understanding that the Zuffa belt would only be a token of recognition, then reversed course after it became clear the new title would still be contested. That meant the bout went ahead as an unsanctioned contest in IBF terms.
Inside the ring, that issue did little to change the result. Glanton was docked points for holding and a low blow, while Opetaia also lost a point late in the fight for excessive holding, but the scorecards still reflected a one-sided performance. The win lifted Opetaia to 30-0 and kept him moving toward the bigger fights still to come in the cruiserweight division.
