Jai Opetaia could be stripped of title as he has huge decision to make before Zuffa Boxing debut

Over the past few weeks, the promotion has been firmly in the headlines following their $15 million signing of Conor Benn, followed by news that they are facing legal action from their competitors.

Despite that, this Sunday from the Meta Apex, arguably their biggest star Jai Opetaia is set to make his promotional debut against Brandon Glanton.

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Jai Opetaia must decide which title he fights for this Sunday

Opetaia currently holds the IBF and Ring Magazine Cruiserweight titles and on Sunday night, the inaugural Zuffa Boxing Cruiserweight title is set to be on the line.

However, an IBF spokesperson has told Uncrowned that the Australian champion must choose which title he wants to fight for, not allowing him to defend his IBF title and fight for the promotional title.

“The IBF is still deliberating on the entirety of the situation regarding Jai Opetaia’s bout vs. Brandon Glanton. We are not making a public statement at this time.”

Not long after signing with Dana White’s promotion, Opetaia reminded them of his goal to become the undisputed Cruiserweight champion, which looks to be a problem.

Zuffa Boxing have always remained adamant that they will not recognize the traditional sanctioning bodies, and now the traditional sanctioning bodies seem to be taking their stance.

However, if Opetaia opts to fight for the Zuffa title instead of defending his IBF title, he will be stripped of the IBF title entirely.

“If a champion participates in an unsanctioned contest within his prescribed weight limit, the title will be declared vacant whether the Champion wins or loses the bout,” rule 5.H of the IBF rules states.

Opetaia is eyeing a move to heavyweight

Still with a big decision to make, ahead of his Zuffa Boxing debut on Sunday, the 30-year-old has declared that he is interested in a future move to heavyweight.

For a while now, boxing fans have been calling for a fight between Oleksandr Usyk and the Australian, and Zuffa Boxing may be hopeful that they can land the huge fight in the future.

Before that can happen, though, Opetaia must get through the test of Glanton this Sunday, potentially making history by becoming the first Zuffa Boxing champion.