Boxing
Austin Williams wins, leaves questions
The fight was on the Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson undercard and ended less than a day before the opening bell after Carlos Adames was removed from the event after being hospitalized while cutting weight.
Toussaint entered the fight on extremely brief notice, increased weight and had no real time to prepare for a pressure fighter like Williams. This was essential because from the first rounds the fight was more fierce than expected.
The first three rounds were fierce and relatively even. Williams pressed forward but struggled to create pristine separation early on, while Toussaint stayed composed, counter-attacked and did enough to avoid being run over. Williams began to take control in the fourth round when a pointed lead cut knocked down Toussaint, briefly changing the tenor of the fight.
From that point on, Williams dictated the action. He worked behind the jab, got to the body and spent long stretches cutting away the ring. Toussaint took punishment, particularly in the fifth round when he was trapped on the ropes, but he never stopped competing. After being knocked down, his approach changed towards survival and discipline, staying upright and avoiding prolonged rallies.
Williams won most of the remaining rounds clearly. What never came was the finish. Against an opponent who was fighting above his natural weight on brief notice, Williams was unable to force a stoppage or completely break Toussaint. The judges reflected his control on the cards, scoring 98-91, 99-90 and 99-90.
For Toussaint, covering such a distance in such conditions inspired respect. For Williams, who is currently 20-1, the result allows him to move forward on paper but leaves room for doubt in practice. It was supposed to be a presentation after the canceled title chance. Instead, it was a blue-collar victory that raised familiar concerns about his ability to impose himself on fighters who refuse to give up.
At this level, winning wide is not the same as convincing, and Williams will need more than just commanding the next time the stakes get higher
Jai Opetai’s fight against Brandon Glanton is still moving forward, but veteran reporter Dan Rafael says the issue that caused the IBF title to be removed from the fight had to do with how the belt was presented during fight week. Rafael reported that IBF president Daryl Peoples believes that the organization’s title was shown as secondary to Zuffa’s belt during a recent press conference.
This explanation makes the argument about the presentation rather than the match itself. Rafael wrote that Peoples objected to the way the belts were arranged at the press, with Zuffa’s belt posed for the cameras while Opetaia held the IBF title rather than raising it in the usual manner towards the audience.
“The IBF withdrew sanctions and sent the overseer home after the journalist because IBF President Daryl Peoples felt disrespected by the belt being placed secondary to Zuffa’s,” Rafael wrote on social media.
Fight week photos reflect the arrangement Rafael described. At the final press conference on Friday, Zuffa’s belt was centered and Opetaia held the red IBF title at his side. Saturday’s weigh-in had a similar effect. Zuffa’s belt was raised over the fighters on the restart, while Opetaia continued to hold the IBF Championship on his chest. This sequence appears to have irritated the sanctioning authority.
Rafael also reported another unusual detail related to the fight. Even after the IBF dropped its sanctions, Opetai and Glanton were still expected to adhere to IBF weight rules ahead of the morning fight. Rafael said that no competitor can weigh more than ten pounds over the cruiserweight weight limit of 200.
Rafael later noticed that the IBF belt continued to appear in promotion for the event. Opetaia held the title at media events and discussed it publicly, and graphics broadcast by Zuffa covered the championship. Rafael’s account points to the dispute that raged over Zuffa’s title belt relationship during press events.
Opetaia entered fight week as the IBF cruiserweight champion after regaining the belt in a rematch victory over Mairis Briedis in 2024. The Australian continues to wear the physical belt while promoting his fight against Glanton. Once he steps into the ring and takes part in an unsanctioned fight, the IBF Championship will no longer move forward with him.
The fight remains scheduled, and reports from Rafael indicate that the split was due to belt politics and presentations at public events. The episode shows how rigorously sanctioning bodies guard the status of their championships as modern promoters introduce competitive titles.
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