Cruiserweight star Jai Opetaia made his Zuffa Boxing debut as he competed in the first championship bout for the promotion against Brandon Glanton.
In the fourth Zuffa Boxing event the promotion put on the first championship fight in their history and they featured their first big signee, the undefeated IBF and Ring cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia. Opposing Opetaia for the landmark bout is Brandon “Bulletproof” Glanton, a 21-3 professional fighting out of Riverside, California.
The bout saw a very game Glanton do well to slow down the taller Opetaia by cutting off the ring and putting pressure on the defending Ring Magazine champion. However, Opetaia’s shot selection and movement allowed the Australian to control the range and exchanges in the middle of the ring. Glanton found his best success when he was close in the clinch where he tried to deliver punishing damage to the body of Opetaia.
In the fourth round, Opetaia began to pull away with punishing right hands that stunned Glanton and responded with powerful shots in kind when the challenger initiated the clinch. The two began to open up more in the fifth and sixth round where Opetaia showed a willingness to exchange with the heavy handed Glanton in what were some of the most exciting moments of the fight. While he gave a strong effort, Glanton also landed a pair of low blows that led to the deduction of two points during the course of the match. In the final round, a big right hand stunned Glanton in the closing minute and it looked like he would record the finish after all but the challenger survived to reach the final bell.
Opetaia was given the decision and added the Zuffa Boxing championship belt to his resume. The bout did have some controversy prior to the event as the IBF did not sanction the fight and stripped Opetaia of the title. Following the fight, Opetaia did say he had interest in the winner of Gilbert “Zurdo” Ramirez vs David Benavidez which is coming up on May 02.
In other action, the card saw two finishes as Ricardo Salas stopped Jesus Saracho in round eight while Vlad Panin stopped Shinard Bunch in round nine.
The most exciting bout was the battle of undefeated featherweights Pablo Rubio and Adan Palma. Rubio rallied back from two early knockdowns to win a slugfest with Palma and take home the decision in what was his first victory in ten months.
The full results are below and will be updated throughout the day.
Main Card
Cruiserweight Championship: Jai Opetaia def. Brandon Glanton via unanimous decision (119-106, 119-106, 119-106)
Welterweight Bout: Ricardo Salas def. Jesus Saracho via TKO (referee stoppage) – Round 8, 2:05
Featherweight Bout: Pablo Rubio def. Adan Palma via unanimous decision (77-73, 77-73, 76-74)
Preliminary Card
Welterweight Bout: Vlad Panin def. Shinard Bunch via TKO (referee stoppage) – Round 9, 2:29
Heavyweight Bout: Joshua Juarez def. Jardae Anderson via unanimous decision (79-73, 78-74, 77-75)
Featherweight Bout: Jaycob Ramos vs Ethan Perez scored a majority draw (57-55 Ramos, 56-56, 56-56)
Lightweight Bout: Brady Ochoa vs Adrian Serrano scored a majority draw (58-56 Ochoa, 57-57, 57-57)
Featherweight Bout: Emiliano Alvarado def. Erick Rosado via unanimous decision (59-54, 59-54, 59-54)