Jake MichaelsMar 5, 2026, 03:13 PM ETCloseJake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who has worked for ESPN since 2013. He primarily writes on the AFL, but his assignments have taken him all around the world, covering everything from Formula One to Grand Slam tennis, championship boxing to international basketball, and the Olympic Games.Follow on XMultiple Authors
Stephen A. ‘not expecting much’ from Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch (1:22)Stephen A. Smith and Vincent Goodwill share their thoughts on Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao’s rematch. (1:22)
Jai Opetaia should be the biggest name in Australian boxing, with the gap to No. 2 not particularly close. The cruiserweight king, who was born in Sydney but fights out of the Gold Coast, has flattened every opponent that’s been brave enough to share the ring with him, and has collected the IBF and Ring world championship straps to solidify his place among the sport’s modern-day titans.
In his 29 fights as a professional, Opetaia has scored 23 knockouts and won the other six bouts on points. He’s defended a world title on seven occasions, was recently ranked third in Max Kellerman’s best pound-for-pound boxers on the planet, and, if things go to plan, could soon be set to unify the cruiserweight division.
And yet despite his greatness, the accolades he’s stacking, and the path he’s forging, Opetaia continues to be criminally underappreciated by the bulk of the Australian public. As has been the case for several years, more attention seems to be paid to the fight circuses surrounding the likes of ex-footballers, has-beens, and those who simply cannot back up their never-ending smack talk.
“We’re not here to be superstars and the most famous fighter,” Opetaia tells ESPN. “We don’t like drama. We stay in our lane, you know.
“The media loves drama. We just love hard work and doing what we’ve got to do. It doesn’t get as much traction as the drama, but it is what it is. We just want to be undisputed and then go and hang out with our families.”
Opetaia will make his debut with Zuffa Boxing this Saturday evening [Sunday afternoon AEDT] in Las Vegas when he battles American Brandon Glanton (21-3, 18 KOs) for the promotion’s inaugural world title. As with the first three Zuffa Boxing events held in the first quarter of 2026, Opetaia and Glanton will headline a Meta APEX fight card which will be streamed on Paramount+.
Some fight fans may view Opetaia’s switch to Zuffa Boxing as a lateral move, others as a step backwards, but the Australian is adamant his career-defining decision will unlock the undisputed opportunity he’s long been craving.
“Zuffa Boxing has changed the game. These are the cards you’ve got to be on,” Opetaia explains. “[Before I signed] there was a mention of unification. We’ve obviously got a job to do before we get there [but] they said that they can get me the WBC. The WBO and the WBA, they’re being a bit harder for us to deal with, but I’m confident that if we keep winning, these fights have to happen.
Opetaia’s maiden Zuffa Boxing appearance comes three months on from his last fight, which marked his seventh defense of his Ring cruiserweight title and fourth defense of the IBF belt. Opetaia stopped Huseyin Cinkara with a crushing eighth-round knockout, which left the German veteran unconscious on the canvas for several minutes. Cinkara was later taken to hospital where scans revealed he had fractured his neck.
Glanton, meanwhile, fought twice in 2025. The 33-year-old from Atlanta, who has been knocking on the door of a world title for much of his career, was beaten by unanimous decision against former WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith in April, before rebounding with a sixth-round stoppage victory over Marcus Browne in October.
“I know he’s tough. I know he’s strong. And I know he’s going to come to fight,” Opetaia said of Glanton, despite entering the fight as a raging odds-on favourite with bookmakers. “Regardless of who I’m fighting, we prepare for war. We’ve been training hard and we’re ready to go. I’m f—ing ready!
Stephen A. ‘not expecting much’ from Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch (1:22)Stephen A. Smith and Vincent Goodwill share their thoughts on Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao’s rematch. (1:22)
Stephen A. Smith and Vincent Goodwill share their thoughts on Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao’s rematch. (1:22)
Jake MichaelsMar 5, 2026, 03:13 PM ETCloseJake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who has worked for ESPN since 2013. He primarily writes on the AFL, but his assignments have taken him all around the world, covering everything from Formula One to Grand Slam tennis, championship boxing to international basketball, and the Olympic Games.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseJake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who has worked for ESPN since 2013. He primarily writes on the AFL, but his assignments have taken him all around the world, covering everything from Formula One to Grand Slam tennis, championship boxing to international basketball, and the Olympic Games.Follow on X
That target of unification has been front and centre in Opetaia’s mind for the past 24 months, and after several failed attempts to pen a date with either Gilberto Ramirez (WBA/WBO) or Noel Mikaelian (WBC), he opted to sign an intriguing contract with Zuffa Boxing — Dana White and Turki Al-Sheikh’s new fight venture that shares a similar model to the UFC.