Jai Opetaia signs with Zuffa Boxing

[Sendo Takeshi]

Him and Norair face off after the first Zuffa event.
Maybe, maybe...

[joshj909]

Him and Norair face off after the first Zuffa event.
Maybe, maybe...

6 weeks notice for a Cruiserweight unification at the Apex would be weird from a promotional perspective. Good fight though

[giacomino]

Jai Opetaia will headline a Zuffa Boxing show on March 8 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. He’ll defend his lineal, RING and IBF cruiserweight titles against an opponent to be determined.

This will be Opetaia’s U.S. debut and his first fight on a Zuffa card after signing with the company.

His Zuffa deal reportedly lets him fight both on Zuffa shows and for Riyadh Season cards, which he says helps his goal of becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion.

I'm predicting Leonardo Mosquea at best. Tristan Kalkreuth or Brandon Glanton are possibilities if Dana wants to try to appeal to American fans.

Don’t really get anything by putting an American in because nobody in the US knows anyone in the crappy division other than maybe Ramirez. Since it will likely be another softy, bring in the usual KO victim with an inflated record and then wait a few months until Jake Paul is back for easy $$$

[joshj909]

Jai Opetaia will headline a Zuffa Boxing show on March 8 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. He’ll defend his lineal, RING and IBF cruiserweight titles against an opponent to be determined.

This will be Opetaia’s U.S. debut and his first fight on a Zuffa card after signing with the company.

His Zuffa deal reportedly lets him fight both on Zuffa shows and for Riyadh Season cards, which he says helps his goal of becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion.

I'm predicting Leonardo Mosquea at best. Tristan Kalkreuth or Brandon Glanton are possibilities if Dana wants to try to appeal to American fans.

Don’t really get anything by putting an American in because nobody in the US knows anyone in the crappy division other than maybe Ramirez. Since it will likely be another softy, bring in the usual KO victim with an inflated record and then wait a few months until Jake Paul is back for easy $$$

Has to be an IBF ranked cruiserweight so there are limited options

[gilgamesh]

I'm predicting Leonardo Mosquea at best. Tristan Kalkreuth or Brandon Glanton are possibilities if Dana wants to try to appeal to American fans.

Don’t really get anything by putting an American in because nobody in the US knows anyone in the crappy division other than maybe Ramirez. Since it will likely be another softy, bring in the usual KO victim with an inflated record and then wait a few months until Jake Paul is back for easy $$$

Has to be an IBF ranked cruiserweight so there are limited options

Or he could fight literally ANY Heavyweight, and make more money.

[giacomino]

I'm predicting Leonardo Mosquea at best. Tristan Kalkreuth or Brandon Glanton are possibilities if Dana wants to try to appeal to American fans.

Don’t really get anything by putting an American in because nobody in the US knows anyone in the crappy division other than maybe Ramirez. Since it will likely be another softy, bring in the usual KO victim with an inflated record and then wait a few months until Jake Paul is back for easy $$$

Has to be an IBF ranked cruiserweight so there are limited options

I would think Paul’s people could get him a ranking. It wouldn’t he the first time somebody paid for a ranking. If it looks like he isn’t getting Zurdo anytime soon I’d rather see Jai move up because there’s not a lot left to prove KOing nobodies and he’s at or near his prime

[londonwar]

Had opatei been managed properly we might had had the unification bout done and dusted at CW and the real prospect of a showdown at heavyweight with Usyk by now. No joke.

But unfortunately fight-fans get what they deserve

[golden_labrador]

the guy gets all sh1tty saying he wants to unify before moving to HW but operates like Austin Powers in that cart doing a 12-point-turn in doing so. boxing is such a strange sport/business. I'd love to see him at HW before he gets old

[ninetypercent]

So he's unifying on March 8th. Can we least acknowledge this seems like it's been a good move for Opetia. Good move for genuine American boxing fans as well.

[golden_labrador]

So he's unifying on March 8th. Can we least acknowledge this seems like it's been a good move for Opetia. Good move for genuine American boxing fans as well.

how's he unifying on March 8th? genuine question

[ninetypercent]

Sorry. My bad. I was reading too much into early morning YouTube. I thought he was fighting Mikaelian but apparently not

[joshj909]

Don’t really get anything by putting an American in because nobody in the US knows anyone in the crappy division other than maybe Ramirez. Since it will likely be another softy, bring in the usual KO victim with an inflated record and then wait a few months until Jake Paul is back for easy $$$

Has to be an IBF ranked cruiserweight so there are limited options

I would think Paul’s people could get him a ranking. It wouldn’t he the first time somebody paid for a ranking. If it looks like he isn’t getting Zurdo anytime soon I’d rather see Jai move up because there’s not a lot left to prove KOing nobodies and he’s at or near his prime

Paul's jaw won't be recovered by March. Opetaia Vs Paul won't happen at the Apex. Paul is unlikely to fight for a Dana White promotion.

[giacomino]

Has to be an IBF ranked cruiserweight so there are limited options

I would think Paul’s people could get him a ranking. It wouldn’t he the first time somebody paid for a ranking. If it looks like he isn’t getting Zurdo anytime soon I’d rather see Jai move up because there’s not a lot left to prove KOing nobodies and he’s at or near his prime

Paul's jaw won't be recovered by March. Opetaia Vs Paul won't happen at the Apex. Paul is unlikely to fight for a Dana White promotion.

I wasn’t being serious. I wouldn’t want Jai to join the clown show

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Sendo Takeshi]

You guys are nuts if you actually believe Jake Paul would fight Jai.
If he wants a title fight, it has to be Norair.
Both Jai and Zurdo would completeley destroy Paul.

Also, if we see him this year, it has to be end of the year because of his jaw.

[joshj909]

That would explain why they could afford to pay a good opponent for him. However, the reason his shows were losing money were probably because he didn't have good opponents.

[Ruthless-RKO]

He’s hit back

[Sendo Takeshi]

Eddie Hearn was never my friend.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jai Opetaia has filed a lawsuit against the IBF for stripping him of his cruiserweight title back in March, saying the decision was made as retaliation for his decision to sign with Zuffa Boxing.

[Ruthless-RKO]

https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/opeta ... oN1ZI68ZfD

[giacomino]

Maybe he should sue his manager for having him waste his prime beating up nobodies

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jai Opetaia IBF lawsuit demands title reinstatement, alleges conspiracy

Former International Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia’s July 14 lawsuit against the IBF alleges, among other things, that the New Jersey-based sanctioning body, along with other sanctioning bodies and prominent figures in the sport, conspired against him and engaged in an “industry-wide conspiracy” to punish the Australian for signing with Zuffa Boxing, “and to deter other athletes from doing the same.”

According to the 123-paragraph complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada by the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP on behalf of Opetaia, after originally agreeing to sanction his March 8 fight against Brandon Glanton, the IBF improperly withdrew their sanction of the bout “at the most damaging moment: after the final press conference less than 48 hours before the fight,” and later voted to strip Opetaia, of his championship on March 19.

At the time, the IBF claimed that, contrary to their rules, Opetaia was competing in an unsanctioned bout because the marketing materials and press release for the fight against Glanton identified the contest as being for the Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight world championship and made little to no mention of the IBF. The IBF say that Zuffa is not an organization they recognize as an official sanctioning body.

Opetaia, who went on to defeat Glanton by wide unanimous decision, and his lawyers paint the incident in a much different light.

“However, after the President of the IBF (sitting in his home) allegedly felt ‘embarrassed’ because of the IBF’s belt placement during a press conference (at an arena in Las Vegas), the IBF — encouraged by boxing’s establishment (other sanctioning bodies and promoters)—abruptly punished Jai. The IBF withdrew its sanctioning 48 hours before the fight after accepting payment and despite approving Zuffa Boxing’s involvement from the start. Jai was placed in an impossible position: Pull out of a fight he had spent months training for, and lose his seven-figure compensation, or risk being stripped of his championship. Jai continued forward with the fight and, following his victory, the IBF formally stripped him of his hard-earned title.”

The "conspiracy," which the lawsuit alleges also involved “the WBC, WBA, WBO, Mauricio Sulaimán, Gilberto Mendoza, Gustavo Olivieri, Levi Martinez, Alberto Leon, and Eddie Hearn,” among others, served to “eliminate any opportunity for him (Opetaia) to compete for the ‘Big Four’ titles or to ever achieve his dream of becoming a ‘unified’ champion…”

As evidence, the lawsuit claims Opetaia’s team are in possession of chat logs between the parties that prove their allegations. It also cites WBC and WBO cruiserweight champion David Benavidez’s recent comments that facing Opetaia is meaningless if he doesn’t hold a title.

The suit further claims that foreshadowing public comments made by Hearn before the bout, claiming the IBF would "make a stance sooner than you think," and strip Opetaia, were proof the organization never had any intention of sanctioning the Glanton fight and had planned their moves to punitively, “inflict the maximum amount of reputational and financial harm,” on him.

Additionally, it alleges the IBF violated the Muhammad Ali Act by accepting the $73,000 sanctioning fee before providing mandatory disclosures of where the money was going to the Nevada Commission.

Opetaia is hoping the suit will lead to his immediate reinstatement as IBF cruiserweight champion, compensate him for damages and legal fees, and block the IBF from naming a new champion while the suit winds its way through the courts.

When asked for comment, IBF Championships Chairman George Martinez indicated the organization "will release a statement when it is appropriate."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jai Opetaia sues IBF, alleges wide-ranging conspiracy

Jai Opetaia wants his cruiserweight title back

Darshan Desai at Uncrowned reports that former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia has filed suit against the sanctioning body, alleging a conspiracy on the part of the WBA, WBC, WBO, former promoter Eddie Hearn, and others to punish him for signing with Zuffa Boxing.

The IBF stripped Opetaia (30-0, 23 KO) of the belt ahead of his Zuffa debut this past March, characterizing his bout with Brandon Glanton for the Zuffa title an unsanctioned unification. Opetaia swept Glanton on all three scorecards and intended to follow up with a crack at WBC champion Noel Mikaelian, only for Mauricio Sulaiman to order a three-belt unification between Mikaelian and David Benavidez that Opetaia cites as evidence of punitive collusion.

Per Desai, Opetaia “is seeking reinstatement as IBF cruiserweight champion, damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, and an injunction preventing the sanctioning body from naming a new cruiserweight champion while the litigation is pending.” Opetaia claims that “evidence supporting this conspiracy exists in group text messages and WhatsApp conversations.”

Here’s the thing: would a shadowy, nefarious plot be beyond the realm of possibility? Hell, no. I’d be more shocked if these sorts of things weren’t happening on the regular. I just can’t understand what Opetaia expected after signing with Dana White, who said in the most unambiguous terms imaginable that he had no interest in working with the sanctioning bodies. This isn’t a case of not checking the fine print, bud.

https://sports.yahoo.com/boxing/article ... 03310.html

[Ruthless-RKO]

Opetaia Sues IBF For Stripping Him Of Title, Alleges Conspiracy

Jai Opetaia has sued the IBF because the sanctioning body stripped him of its cruiserweight title in March.

Uncrowned’s Darshan Desai first reported the news Wednesday. Opetaia’s attorney filed the 123-page complaint July 14 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.

The unbeaten Australian seeks reinstatement as IBF champion and believes the New Jersey-based governing organization stripped him in retaliation for signing with Zuffa Boxing, an emerging promotional company in which Ring owner Turki Alalshikh has a significant financial stake. Opetaia believes the IBF had no plans of sanctioning his Zuffa Boxing debut – a 12-round, unanimous-decision victory over Brandon Glanton on March 8 in Las Vegas.

Losing the IBF belt has prohibited Opetaia from securing title unification fights against WBA/WBO champ David Benavidez and WBC champ Noel Mikaelian.

Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs), who still holds The Ring and Zuffa titles, signed with Zuffa Boxing in January. Much of the build-up to his fight against Glanton centered on whether the 30-year-old southpaw would retain his IBF belt while also fighting for Zuffa’s title.

The IBF withdrew its sanction of the Opetaia-Glanton fight late the night of March 6, following their final press conference, and returned its sanctioning fee to Opetaia the following day. Two weeks later, the IBF officially stripped Opetaia of the title, citing an issue with him and Glanton fighting for the Zuffa belt and stating it does not recognize that title.

The IBF previously stripped Opetaia before after he faced Ellis Zorro in December 2023, rather than making a mandatory defense against Mairis Briedis, from whom he won the title in July 2022. Opetaia beat Briedis by unanimous decision in their rematch in May 2024 and reclaimed the then-vacant IBF belt.

[Ruthless-RKO]

HEARN THREATENS OPETAIA WITH LAWSUIT

Eddie Hearn: "I take these kind of accusations unbelievably seriously — you've seen it before in the past [when I sued Jake Paul]. You wanna mention my name when you talk about corruption in boxing? I've instructed my lawyers today to write to his lawyers and let him know that you withdraw me from that complaint [against the IBF], you retract any statement or I'll sue you for defamation."