Jai Opetaia Sues IBF Over Belt-Stripping, Alleges Conspiracy Against Zuffa Boxing

In boxing, some of the most important battles occur outside the ropes. For all of the glamor and beauty of the actual sport, how the metaphorical sausage gets made is never pretty.

Between managers and promoters engaging in wars of words that lead to consequences, the sport hinges on this out-of-ring mayhem to make the fights that fans clamor for.

Zuffa Boxing broke onto the scene, looking to control not only the narrative but also the process itself. With Dana White as the face of the promotion, Zuffa attempts to do to the sweet science what it did to mixed martial arts: exert effective control over the game and dominate.

Since Opetaia became Zuffa's first major signing in January, they have gone on to add some of boxing's biggest names, including Shakur Stevenson, Richardson Hitchins, Conor Benn, and others.

However, as one of the newer promotions, fighting industry giants could be a challenge. Now, cruiserweight Jai Opetaia (30-0, 23 KO) finds himself as a willing combatant in the struggle between a boxing organizations and Zuffa.

Jai Opetaia sues the International Boxing Federation

On March 23, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) stripped Opetaia of the cruiserweight title. Two weeks before, Opetaia defeated Brandon Glanton for the Zuffa cruiserweight title, a belt that the IBF does not recognize.

Last week, Opetaia sued the IBF, seeking reinstatement of his championship and reimbursement for legal fees. The sanctioning body initially agreed to sanction the bout, but only if the fight wasn't considered a unification.

Perhaps the most important claim in Opetaia's case is his assertion of a widespread conspiracy among the major sanctioning bodies (WBO, IBF, WBA, and WBC). In essence, the big four groups do not want Zuffa, in particular Dana White, to control boxing the way that the UFC owns a de facto monopoly over mixed martial arts.

Yet the word "monopoly" sits at the forefront of Opetaia's case. This includes a perceived violation of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, which is referenced in the complaint, which was obtained by Uncrowned.

"The IBF's actions violate the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act ("Ali Act") and constitute fraud, breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant, intentional interference with contractual relations, and conspiracy. Jai seeks the return of his rightful IBF cruiserweight championship title and financial compensation for the harm he has suffered and continues to suffer. In the meantime, Jai is entitled to injunctive relief preventing the IBF from naming a new cruiserweight title champion or holding any bout for the IBF cruiserweight title."

From a macro view, Opetaia and, by extension, Zuffa using the Muhammad Ali Act as a basis is ironic. Zuffa tried to push the Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act through Congress. The revival act would centralize the sport and diminish sanctioning bodies' overall power. The reason Zuffa wants the revival act to pass is to be a part of the centralization.

Although the act passed through a committee in Congress, it currently remains in limbo in the Senate and has lost the support of organizations such as USA Boxing. If it does come to a Senate vote, it will not look the same as it did in Congress.

For Opetaia, he cannot wait for politics to help him. A court or mediation will decide his case. A win could shift power away from the alphabet-sanctioning arms. Yet, a loss would set a precedent for the sport that travels beyond the IBF.

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