Jai Opetaia delivered a dominant performance to defeat Brandon Glanton and claim the inaugural Zuffa World cruiserweight championship by unanimous decision at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Sunday.
All three judges scored the bout 119–106 in favor of Opetaia, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.
The Australian fighter from the Gold Coast controlled the fight from start to finish, winning every round in his first appearance on American soil. Despite the one-sided contest, Opetaia was unable to secure a knockout as Glanton displayed impressive durability and absorbed numerous heavy punches throughout the bout.
“It was alright,” Opetaia said after the fight. “I knew Brandon was going to be tough as nails. I’m happy I got the win and enter this next chapter as the Zuffa champion.”
Opetaia, who improved his record to 30-0 with 23 knockouts, consistently landed powerful shots, including uppercuts that repeatedly found their target against a determined but outmatched Glanton (21-4, 18 KOs).
Glanton’s limited success in the fight came amid disciplinary actions from the referee. He was deducted a point in the sixth round for excessive holding and another in the eighth round for a low blow. Opetaia also lost a point in the 11th round for excessive holding, though the outcome of the fight had already been firmly decided by that stage.
The fight turned into a one-sided mismatch early as Opetaia whipped brutal power shots to the head and body of a pursuant Glanton. Although Glanton was getting routinely beaten to the punch, he continued to follow Opetaia but offered next to nothing offensively while eating a steady diet of rights and lefts. Opetaia added uppercuts to his offensive repertoire in Round 4 that proved to be his most effective punch for the rest of the fight.
Opetaia lit Glanton up in Round 10 with a variety of heavy punches to the head and body but his opponent displayed a sturdy chin that refused to break. Even with a wide lead on the scorecards, Opetaia pursued a finish in the final round and badly hurt Glanton with a straight left hand and combinations. But Glanton managed to survive to the final bell and will leave Las Vegas with a moral victory.
There was more drama leading up to the fight between Opetaia and the IBF than the action inside the ring. Opetaia entered the ring as IBF cruiserweight champion but may be stripped of the title after the IBF refused to sanction the fight on Friday, issuing a statement that they were misled that Zuffa’s championship would be little more than an item that was “characterized as a trophy or token of recognition.”
Opetaia, 30, signed with Zuffa Boxing in January with the goal to become undisputed at cruiserweight and maintained that goal in his comments after the fight.
“I’m chasing the belts,” Opetaia said. “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 belt back and I’ll become undisputed.”