That process, however, has proven to be tougher than expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe status of the IBF cruiserweight title remains in deliberation,\u201d read the statement<\/a>. \u201cJai Opetaia made comments during the post-fight press conference that have led the organization\u2019s leadership to question whether he was made completely and fully aware by his advisors of the decisions he needed to make when committing to the bout against Brandon Glanton. The organization intends to look further into this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana White was not too thrilled with how IBF handled the situation and blasted them during the post-fight presser.<\/p>\n \u201cSaying they felt disrespected at the press conference \u2014 the belt was in front of him the entire time and he held it in his hand when he did the face-off,\u201d White said via SI<\/a>. \u201cThe Zuffa belt was in the middle because nobody had it. It\u2019s pretty clear what they\u2019re doing and what\u2019s going on. I see lawsuits coming.\u201d<\/p>\n Afterward, it was revealed<\/a> that IBF had refunded the $73,000 in sanctioning fees to Team Opetaia. As far as Opetaia\u2019s legal team is concerned, The Ring<\/a> reports that they are still pursuing legal action against IBF for its premature move of stripping their client.<\/p>\n \u201cAn attorney representing Jai Opetaia says the boxer has \u2018good reason to believe\u2019 the IBF\u2019s decision to withdraw sanctioning of his title fight with Brandon Glanton was a \u2018product of coordinated, industry-wide collusion designed to punish him for working with Zuffa Boxing and to deter other athletes from doing the same. Aided and abetted by other sanctioning bodies and promoters, the IBF\u2019s action intentionally inflicted (or threatened to inflict) significant financial and reputational harm on Mr. Opetaia. He is aware of messages between high-level executives essentially admitting to the scheme.\u2018\u201d<\/p>\n For now, Opetaia is still listed as the the IBF cruiserweight king, which means his dreams of becoming unified champion are alive and well (for the time being). Gilberto Ramirez will defend his WBA (Super) and WBO Cruiserweight titles against David Benavidez, who is moving up in weight to challenge \u201cZurdo\u201d<\/a> on May 2, 2026, so Opetaia will be an interested observer come fight night as a matchup against the winner makes the most sense.<\/p>\n