Boxing News
Dana White makes bold promise after being asked about Shakur Stevenson and Oleksandr Usyk
Dana White makes bold promise after being asked about Shakur Stevenson and Oleksandr Usyk
On March 8, at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, NV, Jai Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) defeated Brandon Glanton (21-4, 18 KOs) by unanimous decision to retain The Ring Magazine title, while winning the inaugural Zuffa cruiserweight world title. After the Opetaia win, Dana White spoke in the post-fight press conference and gave a bold answer when asked about potentially signing Shakur Stevenson and Oleksandr Usyk.
Jai Opetaia defeats Brandon Glanton on March 8
Opetaia mainly dominated the contest, with all judges’ scorecards reading 119-106. Coming into the fight, Opetaia was the reigning IBF cruiserweight world champion. However, the sanctioning body ultimately refused to sanction the bout at the eleventh hour, leaving The Ring magazine and Zuffa titles on the line.
The fight began with Glanton walking forward and Opetaia picking his punches impressively. The Aussie began to fight on the inside more at the midway point, tagging Glanton with more regularity. Both continued to trade on the inside, with the referee taking a point off the American for holding, which was harsh. Glanton was again punished in the eighth round, this time for low blows.
As the fight progressed, Opetaia continued to land the cleaner punches and outwork his opponent. The American was brave, but Opetaia kept landing the much heavier punches. The referee again made a puzzling decision, deducting a point from Opetaia for holding in round 11. The deduction for Opetaia was bizarre, but had zero significance on the end result. Opetaia even had the IBF belt over his shoulder in the post-fight interview, suggesting this situation could rumble on.
Dana White makes bold promise about the world’s best fighters
In the post-fight interview, Dana White was asked about making any more signings after the arrival of Conor Benn: “I’m going to sign everybody that we think has the potential to be a world champion or is potentially the best in the world,” said White.
White was then asked if Shakur Stevenson and Oleksandr Usyk were on that shopping list: “Do you consider him to be one of the best in the world. I’m going to f***ing sign everybody,” added White.
