Jai Opetaia IBF lawsuit demands title reinstatement, alleges conspiracy

Former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia has filed a lawsuit against the sanctioning body after being stripped of his title earlier this year.

The July 14 lawsuit alleges, among other things, that the New Jersey-based organization, along with other sanctioning bodies and prominent figures in the sport, conspired against him and engaged in an “industry-wide conspiracy” to punish the Australian for signing with Zuffa Boxing, “and to deter other athletes from doing the same.”

According to the 123-paragraph complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada by the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP on behalf of Opetaia, the IBF improperly withdrew their sanctioning of the March 8 bout between Opetaia and Brandon Glanton “at the most damaging moment: after the final press conference less than 48 hours before the fight” and later voted to strip Opetaia, of his championship on March 19.

At the time, the IBF claimed that, contrary to their rules, Opetaia was competing in an unsanctioned bout because the marketing materials and press release for the fight against Glanton identified the contest as being for the Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight world championship and made little to no mention of the IBF. The IBF say that Zuffa is not an organization they recognize as an official sanctioning body.

Opetaia and his lawyers paint the incident in a much different light.

“However, after the President of the IBF (sitting in his home) allegedly felt ‘embarrassed’ because of the IBF’s belt placement during a press conference (at an arena in Las Vegas), the IBF — encouraged by boxing’s establishment (other sanctioning bodies and promoters)—abruptly punished Jai. The IBF withdrew its sanctioning 48 hours before the fight after accepting payment and despite approving Zuffa Boxing’s involvement from the start. Jai was placed in an impossible position: Pull out of a fight he had spent months training for, and lose his seven-figure compensation, or risk being stripped of his championship. Jai continued forward with the fight and, following his victory, the IBF formally stripped him of his hard-earned title.”

The "conspiracy," which the lawsuit alleges also involved “the WBC, WBA, WBO, Mauricio Sulaimán, Gilberto Mendoza, Gustavo Olivieri, Levi Martinez, Alberto Leon, and Eddie Hearn,” among others, served to “eliminate any opportunity for him (Opetaia) to compete for the ‘Big Four’ titles or to ever achieve his dream of becoming a ‘unified’ champion…”

As evidence, the lawsuit claims Opetaia’s team are in possession of chat logs between the parties that prove their allegations. It also cites WBC and WBO cruiserweight champion David Benavidez’s recent comments that facing Opetaia is meaningless if he doesn’t hold a title. 

The suit further claims that foreshadowing public comments made by Hearn before the bout, claiming the IBF would "make a stance sooner than you think," and strip Opetaia, were proof the organization never had any intention of sanctioning the Glanton fight and had planned their moves to punitively, “inflict the maximum amount of reputational and financial harm,” on him. 

Additionally, it alleges the IBF violated the Muhammad Ali Act by accepting the $73,000 sanctioning fee before providing mandatory disclosures of where the money was going to the Nevada Commission.

Opetaia, who beat Glanton widely on points, is hoping the suit will lead to his immediate reinstatement as IBF cruiserweight champion, compensate him for damages and legal fees, and block the IBF from naming a new champion while the suit winds its way through the courts.

When asked for comment, IBF Championships Chairman George Martinez indicated the organization "will release a statement when it is appropriate."