DAZN News Daily Round-Up - Opetaia stripped, Hearn's unveils new signing, MVP's new boxing league

IBF strip cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia

After days of speculation, the IBF has decided to strip Jai Opetaia of their cruiserweight world title. 

Opetaia is set to face Brandon Glanton on Sunday night for the Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight world title, and this forced the IBF to act. 

The below statement from an IBF spokesperson confirmed the decision. 

"With sanction withdrawn, the Opetaia vs. Glanton bout is now an Unsanctioned Contest. IBF Rule 5.H. states in part - An Unsanctioned Contest is a fight which the IBF has not formally approved for sanction or where sanction has been formally withdrawn. If a Champion participates in an unsanctioned contest within his prescribed weight limit, the title will be declared vacant whether the Champion wins or loses the bout.”

The IBF only recognises the WBA, WBC and WBO when it comes to sanctioning bodies, not the newly created Zuffa Boxing. 

As a result, Opetaia's road to undisputed has all but vanished. 

Eddie Hearn and Tom Aspinall stage press conference

Friday saw Eddie Hearn stage a press conference with the first signing to Matchroom's Talent Agency, UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. 

In front of the world's media, Hearn and Aspinall discussed how the partnership came about, with the former promising to make Aspinall a superstar. 

“Tom’s the undisputed heavyweight champion — there’s nothing bigger than that," Hearn said.

“He’s been through a bit of a tough time but how is he not an even bigger star than he already is? What we can create is the news and the hype that can blow up the internet — and that’s what we’ve done.

“Now we can build his profile and his brand to ensure he gets everything he deserves commercially."

Jake Paul launches new boxing league 

Jake Paul's MVP promotions continue to change the game in women's boxing. 

At a major press conference on Friday, MVP announced that they will be launching a women's boxing league with 43 fighters signed up. 

The roster features 38 world champions and the first event will take place on April 5 in London with Caroline Dubois and Terri Harper set to meet in the main event for the WBC and WBO women's lightweight titles.

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