Jai Opetaia’s fight with Brandon Glanton is still going strong, but veteran journalist Dan Rafael says the issue that took the IBF title away from the fight centered on how the belt was awarded during fight week. Rafael reported that the president of the IBF, Daryl Peoples, believes that the title of this organization was taken as the second in Zuffa’s belt during the press conference.
That definition puts the argument in the presentation rather than the analogy itself. Rafael wrote that Peoples objected to the way the belts were placed in the press, where Zuffa’s belt was shown to the cameras while Opetaia held the IBF title instead of holding it up to the crowd as usual.
“The IBF canceled the punishment and sent his boss back home after the presser because the president of the IBF, Daryl Peoples, felt that the belt was placed second to Zuffa,” Rafael wrote on social media.
Pictures from the fight week showed the plan described by Rafael. At the final press conference on Friday, Zuffa’s belt was the focus of the photos and Opetaia held the red IBF title by his side. Saturday’s weigh-in produced a similar picture. Zuffa’s belt was raised above the fighters while Opetaia still placed the IBF title on his chest. That series seems to have offended the body of the law.
Rafael also reported some unusual details connected to the fight. Even after the IBF withdrew its sanctions, Opetaia and Glanton were still expected to follow the IBF’s morning fight weight rule. Rafael said that no fighter can weigh more than ten kilograms over the 200 cruiserweight limit.
Rafael later noted that the IBF belt was still visible in advertising for the event. Opetaia held the title at press events and discussed it publicly, while Zuffa’s streaming graphics covered the championship. Rafael’s account indicates that the dispute centered on how the belt was seen in comparison to Zuffa’s title during press events.
Opetaia entered the fight week as the IBF cruiserweight champion after regaining the belt in his rematch with Mairis Briedis in 2024. The Australian still held the belt when he stepped up to the Glanton fight. If he enters the ring in an unsanctioned fight, the IBF title will no longer go forward with him.
The war is still on the agenda, and Rafael’s report reflects the political divide and the launch of public events. This episode shows how closely the judging organizations monitor the nature of their competition when new promoters introduce rival titles.
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Last updated on 2026/03/07 at 3:51 PM
