Jai Opetaia officially stripped of IBF cruiserweight title following long-winded Zuffa saga

Jai Opetaia has now lost his IBF cruiserweight title for a second time outside of the ring. The sanctioning body announced Monday that it has formally stripped the Australian of his world championship following a meeting held by the IBF this past Thursday, where the decision was made. Per an IBF ruling read obtained by Uncrowned: "On March 19, 2026, the IBF Board of Directors met via teleconference to address the status of the IBF Cruiserweight title held by Jai Opetaia.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Board voted to vacate the title pursuant to Rule 5. H. The IBF Cruiserweight title is vacant.

" Opetaia signed with Dana White's Zuffa Boxing this past January and, in February, announced that his debut for the company would be against Brandon Glanton on March 8 at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The artwork for Opetaia's bout with Glanton — alongside the press release — indicated that the contest would be for the "Zuffa World Cruiserweight Championship," making no mention of Opetaia's position as IBF champion. Tasman Fighters' Mick Francis, Opetaia’s co-promoter alongside Zuffa Boxing, requested IBF sanction for Opetaia's bout with Glanton later in February.

The sanctioning body denied the request, citing IBF Rule 5. E. 2, which disallows unification bouts except for the recognized WBA, WBC or WBO titles.