Zuffa Boxing 4: Jai Tapu Opetaia vs. Brandon Benard Glanton & Ricardo Salas vs. Jesus Saracho RBR.

I suspect the reason why Zuffa boxing cards are on Sundays is to prevent them clashing with UFC cards on Saturdays. I could be wrong but Dana would be shooting himself in the foot if they were both on at the same time

I think Jai is going to opt to try and outbox Glanton and not allow Glanton to drag him into a war. No one has an easy time with Glanton and I do see this as a risky fight for Jai and one he has to not make any silly mistakes. It would a real statement if he could stop Glanton who has never been dropped, let alone stopped. Hrgovic stopped him in the WSB but that was up at HW when Glanton was a very green and had only been boxing a few years. Other than that I don't recall seeing him even hurt off the top of my head, or at least not by a head shot, as said, outside of Hrgovic who hurt him with some really classy uppercuts and Jai shattered both of Briedis' nostrils with a big uppercut

Jai will be the hardest puncher Glanton has fought sans maybe possibly Apochi (not saying I believe he is but it's a possibility) who Jai is much more skilful than whereas that will not be the case for Jai who obviously fought Briedis. But Glanton has fought big punchers like Apochi and CBS who despite his decent but far from exceptional KO 61% can crack


Jai Opetaia explained -- and what Brandon Glanton is up against

Jai Opetaia is making his Zuffa Boxing debut at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Sunday (Paramount+, 5:30 p.m. ET), looking to reaffirm his status as the world's best cruiserweight and strengthen his reputation as one of boxing's most clinical finishers. Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs), an Australian in his second reign as IBF world cruiserweight champion, is potentially making a fifth defense against Brandon Glanton (21-3, 18 KOs) with the inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title also on the line.

That's because Salvador Rodriguez of "ESPN KnockOut" reported this week that "the IBF has requested Opetaia to make a decision on the title he'll be fighting for this weekend." According to the report, the IBF said that Opetaia "can either defend the IBF title or fight for the promoter's belt, but not both."

Dana White, who leads Zuffa Boxing, has said he wants to "get rid of sanctioning organizations," but Opetaia wants to unify the titles in his division, so it will be interesting to see which belt is on the line on Sunday.

Here are the key things you should know about Opetaia and his matchup with Glanton, with some insight from fellow cruiserweight Chris Billiam-Smith.

Opetaia has devastating power
Former WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith, who beat Glanton by unanimous decision last April, says Opetaia's left hand punching power is fundamental to his success.

"He has huge power in that left hand," Billam-Smith told ESPN this week. "He puts full force behind it, he lets it go with power that he generates and whip he gets in it. He sets it up beautifully with feet and head movement and he's had a lot of success with it."

• Proof of Opetaia's punching power is the X-ray image of Claudio Squeo's jaw, which was broken in two places by a right hook in the fifth round last June. Squeo reportedly needed three metal plates to reinforce his jaw in surgery postfight.

In January 2025, Opetaia finished David Nyika in Round 4 with a left hand, just as he did to seal KO wins over Ellis Zorro and Jordan Thompson (both in 2023).

In his most recent fight in December, Opetaia produced a devastating Round 8 KO of Huseyin Cinkara, yet afterwards claimed he fought "like s---". Opetaia was caught early on and cut before leaving Cinkara laid out on the canvas with a left hand. Cinkara was left hospitalized with a slight fracture in the neck and brain bleed -- more evidence of the damage Opetaia's left hand can inflict.

Opetaia is on a four-fight knockout streak (three of those opponents were previously unbeaten), and only Mairis Briedis has taken him the distance since July 2019.

Avoiding Opetaia's left hand as much as possible is certainly a good idea considering the injuries it has caused last year alone. Trying to catch the southpaw with a counter when he loads up with his left hand could pay off but is risky.

Opetaia (6-foot-2), who will be making his U.S. debut, was pushed closest by Briedis, who hurt him and won the last few rounds of their rematch in May 2024. Both suffered broken noses in that fight, and Briedis broke Opetaia's jaw in their first fight in 2022.

If Glanton can disrupt Opetaia's rhythm as Briedis did late on, and keep the fight at close range, land punches on the inside and maintain pressure, he could have some success. If Glanton can take it to the later rounds, could we see Opetaia pay for loading up too much with power shots to allow Glanton back into the fight? Or could he stun Opetaia early on as Cinkara did?

"I think Opetaia could stop him late on, or get the win wide on points," Billam-Smith said. "I expect Opetaia to tire him out, and the body shots will hurt him. It's what I targeted when I fought Glanton, and he could force a stoppage."

Billiam-Smith believes Galnton is better than most of Opetaia's opponents and is one of the most experienced, but can't see him defeating Opetaia, unless the champion makes a mistake.

"I don't think Glanton's best chance is the later rounds, I think he's got to catch him before the halfway point," Billam Smith said. "Glanton is heavy-handed but I'm not sure he has the speed or timing to trouble Opetaia. I found Glanton fairly one-dimensional, a bit methodical. But if Opetaia does make a mistake, he could make him pay."