The biggest signing yet for Zuffa Boxing takes the main stage on Sunday when the world’s consensus top cruiserweight, Jai Opetaia, makes his promotional debut against power-punching Brandon Glanton in the main event of Zuffa Boxing 04. The 12-round fight will crown the first Zuffa Boxing world champion in the promotion’s short history.
Opetaia (29-0, 23 KO) is on his second stint as IBF cruiserweight champion and is looking to add the honor of being the first fighter to ever hold a Zuffa Boxing championship.
Opetaia truly established himself as an elite heavyweight with a 2022 win over Mairis Briedis. While a win over an established top fighter like Briedis was already an impressive accomplishment, the fact that Opetaia managed the feat with his jaw broken in two different places immediately built an aura around the Australian.
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Opetaia would defeat Briedis in a rematch three fights later, and didn’t have to suffer through a massive injury to do so the second time around. Since the second Briedis win, Opetaia has rattled off four knockout victories while unsuccessfully hunting for the biggest game in the division.
While unification bouts and fights against the rest of the elite of the division have eluded Opetaia, there has never been a doubt about his quality as a fighter.
In Glanton (21-3, 18 KO), Opetaia faces a fighter with blistering power. Glanton has also never been stopped in his professional career, making for a matchup of two men with heavy hands and solid chins — at least thus far in their careers.
Glanton has come up short in three of his career bouts, dropping a 2022 split decision to David Light, a 2023 majority decision to Soslan Asbarov and a 2025 unanimous decision to former WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith.
Despite those three losses, Glanton has shown plenty of skills, including in his most recent fight, a stoppage win over former unified title challenger Marcus Browne. Glanton’s gritty split decision win over Efetobor Apochi in 2021 stands out as a fight that proves the depths to which Glanton will dig to find victory, even when the knockout doesn’t come.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Date: March 8 | Location: Meta APEX — Las Vegas
Prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET
Main card begins at 9 p.m. ET
Watch live: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as little as $8.99 per month)
Glanton is a tough fighter with good power. He’s proven he can hang with some good fighters. The problem is, Opetaia is not a good fighter, he’s a great one. Glanton is a top 15 fighter around the tier of fighters Opetaia has handled well in his career. Of course, if Glanton lands a few heavy shots, it could significantly alter the texture of the fight, if not end it outright.
Ultimately, Opetaia is simply the better fighter — the best in the world in the division, no less. And it is likely too tall a task for Glanton to suddenly step up his game to a level he’s never shown before at 34 years old and 24 fights into a professional career. Opetaia wins on Sunday, but Glanton is going to make him work for it. Pick: Jai Opetaia via TKO10
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