Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has been confirmed to face WBA (regular) and The Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua on December 11 in Cardiff.
The bout will serve as the co-main event to Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua, writes Sports News Blitz’s boxing expert Jonathon House.
Records
Unbeaten Opetaia will be moving up to heavyweight to take on The Bronze Bomber.
Wilder has an impressive record of 45 wins, four losses and one draw, with 43 of his victories coming by way of knockout.
Opetaia also has an impressive record of 31 wins, with 24 knockouts.
What it means for both fighters
The American had an amazing trilogy with Tyson Fury.
In his first two losses to Fury, the Bronze Bomber showed why he was one of the most feared heavyweights in the division, knocking out almost every man he had been in the ring with, aside from Tyson Fury.
Wilder has not been the same since his first loss to Tyson Fury back in February 2020.
Since the trilogy, Wilder has suffered a few more losses, including defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.
The Bronze Bomber’s last fight was in April 2026, where he beat Derek Chisora by split decision at the O2 Arena.
If Wilder beats Opetaia, it could put him back in the mix at the top of the heavyweight division, potentially setting up a fight against the winner of AJ vs Fury.
This will be Jai Opetaia’s first high-level heavyweight bout, and for me, this is a perfect fight to put him in the mix with the heavyweights.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua analysis: Venue, tickets, start time, Netflix and a reported 2am start time
Winning fight
It is a very winnable fight for Opetaia, and I don’t believe this is the same Deontay Wilder we saw before the Fury trilogy.
Even in the Chisora fight, the power did not look to be there anymore.
Opetaia’s last fight was against Noel Mikaelian, where he won by ninth-round TKO on the undercard of Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas.
If Wilder wins this fight, it gives him the chance to become the first professional boxer to beat Opetaia, and this would put him right back in the mix at the top of the heavyweight division.
If Opetaia wins, it also gives him the chance to enter the heavyweight mix and establish himself among the division's top fighters.
READ NEXT: ZAMST named official bracing partner of M3 Padel Academy
