Jai Opetai’s quest for undisputed status took a huge hit after the IBF stripped the Australian of the cruiserweight title following confirmation that Zuffa’s championship would be treated as a world title.

Opetaia has repeatedly said his goal is to become undisputed. Even at his final press conference, minutes before the IBF released its statement, Opetaia insisted the belt was on the line.

Directly responding to a question from Fight Hub’s Marcos Villegas, Opetaia said: “Yes, the IBF title is in the pipeline. Don’t listen to everything you hear on the internet because everyone is spreading rumors.”

However, these “rumors” were not like that. World Boxing News reported that the IBF was only considering sanctioning the fight and that an announcement would be made.

Ironically, for Opetai, these explanations came shortly after his own comments and contradicted everything he had confirmed to Villegas.

Zuffa’s undisputed plan

The IBF has already clarified that it is not involved in this event, stating: “The IBF has not had any discussions regarding this fight with any direct representative of Zuffa Boxing.”

The IBF also emphasized boxing’s ultimate goal for champions.

“The pursuit of undisputed status – by unifying the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles – represents the highest ambition in sport.”

Following the IBF’s ruling, it now seems highly unlikely that any other sanctioning bodies will allow one of their titles to be on the line with Zuffa.

USA Boxing withdraws

The event came just hours after USA Boxing withdrew its support for proposed changes to the Muhammad Ali Act that could have allowed the Zuffa championship structure to exist under the current system.

In a letter sent to members of Congress, the governing body clarified that the earlier correspondence “does not represent the official position of USA Boxing” and confirmed that “the Board hereby withdraws this letter.”

The blow to the body puts Opetai’s unquestionable ambitions into solemn doubt.

What was initially presented as the path to boxing’s ultimate achievement – unifying the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles – instead removed the first belt required to begin that journey.

It is unclear at this stage whether Zuffa made any promises during the negotiations.

It is clear that Opetaia is currently under contract to Zuffa and if sanctioning authorities continue to withhold recognition, the Australian currently has no realistic path to an undisputed position once signed with the company.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

After months of uncertainty, it appears that Devin Haney will clash with Rolando Romero. As speculation mounts, two-division champion Tim Bradley offered his predictions for the fight he believes could see a stoppage.

Becoming the undisputed lightweight champion of the world with a victory over George Kambosos Jr., Haney defended his 135-pound throne in a rematch with the Australian and then against Vasyl Lomachenko to climb up the rankings pound-for-pound.

“The Dream” then dethroned WBC super lightweight champion Regis Prograis in his 140-pound debut and did the same at welterweight when in his first fight at 147 pounds, he won Brian Norman’s WBO belt.

Now Haney is being linked to a unification fight with WBA titleholder Romero Tim Bradley told his YouTube channel that he believes Haney can secure his first stoppage win since 2019 if he and “Rolly” collide.

“[Haney] put [Brian] Norman is lying on the ground, he said [Regis] Prograis’s** on the ground. I don’t understand why he can’t knock Romero’s ass to the ground if he hits him in the right place at the right time. With his timing, yes, he can give it his all too.

“I can even see that if Devin takes over early or midfield, I can even see Devin being able to stop Romero on defense. There are places to put pressure on Romero.”

“You put him on the back burner because he doesn’t have a lot of amateur experience, right, so I still see some nervousness in his game when you start putting pressure on him.”

Saturday, May 30, is the advertised unification date as Haney and Romero look to establish themselves as the man to beat in the welterweight division.

In a dramatic turnaround that took place in one day, the International Boxing Federation has officially withdrawn its sanction for Jai Opetaia’s cruiserweight title defense against Brandon Glanton.

The withdrawal came hours after Zuffa Boxing posted on social media that the fight would feature the IBF cruiserweight championship, and after Opetaia himself confirmed at a press conference on Friday that the IBF belt was being defended. This announcement and withdrawal appear to have occurred in the same news cycle, ending a week of growing confusion surrounding the status of the title.

The fight, which will headline Zuffa Boxing 04 on Sunday at Meta APEX in Las Vegas, will now only feature the inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight championship and The Ring magazine title. Opetaia (29-0, 23 KO) still holds the IBF belt as of this writing, but the sanctioning body’s rules could force an immediate vacancy. In accordance with Principle 5.H. An IBF champion who competes in an unsanctioned competition within the recommended weight limit forfeits the title regardless of the result.

A week of mixed signals

The timeline tells the story. Earlier this week This was reported by Salvador Rodriguez from ESPN that the IBF gave Opetaia an ultimatum: defend the IBF title or fight for the Zuffa belt, but not both. The IBF refused to allow his championship to appear alongside the newly created promotional title. An IBF spokesman said the organization was still considering the matter and would not make a public statement. Opetaia responded by completely denying the reports. He was unequivocal at the press conference. At another point in the week, he told The Sun that the reports were fabricated. Then on Friday, Zuffa released the IBF title as part of the fight settlement. A few hours later, the IBF withdrew the sanctions.

It is unclear whether Zuffa’s statement forced the IBF’s hand or if the timing was coincidental. It is clear that the sanctioning body made its decision after Zuffa publicly stated that the title was at stake.

What’s going on with the belt?

The IBF withdrawal raises an immediate question: Will Opetaia be stripped of her title? The principle is clear. If the champion fights in his weight class in an unsanctioned fight, the title is declared vacant – win or lose. Opetaia has been through this before. At the end of 2023, the IBF stripped him of his eligibility to fight Ellis Zorro on the Riyad season card, instead facing mandatory challenger Mairis Briedis. He regained the belt six months later with a unanimous decision over Briedis in May 2024 and has since made four successful defenses.

If the IBF strips Opetaia again, the sanctioning body is expected to order a fight between the highest-ranked available contenders to fill the vacancy. This reshuffles the cruiserweight division at a critical time. Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez will defend his WBA and WBO titles against David Benavidez on May 2 at T-Mobile Arena. Opetaia targeted the winner to gain undisputed status. Without the IBF belt, this fight – if it happens – would be a unification fight rather than an undisputed coronation.

The bigger picture

The withdrawal is the clearest signal yet that the IBF – and potentially other major sanctioning bodies – will not passively co-exist with Zuffa’s parallel title structure. As BoxingInsider detailed last week, the conflict has always come down to whether the IBF will enforce its own rules or look the other way. The answer came on Friday and it was execution.

The contradiction at the heart of the Zuffa Boxing model remains unresolved. Dana White has openly stated that he wants to eliminate sanctioning bodies. His most significant player needs these bodies to achieve his intended career goal. Opetaia has repeatedly stated that the reason he is fighting is to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion. This requires holding all four major titles at once – IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO – and that has become much more arduous.

Sunday’s Zuffa Boxing 04 main card begins at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount+, and Opetaia is the bulky favorite to become the promotion’s first champion. He will almost certainly win. Whether he wakes up on Monday still holding the IBF belt is a completely different fight – and one that neither he nor Zuffa Boxing has won.