Wilder to Fight Opetaia on the Fury-Joshua Undercard
An unbeaten cruiserweight champion is about to try heavyweight against one of the division's best-known punchers. Jai Opetaia will fight Deontay Wilder on the undercard of Tyson Fury v Anthony Joshua in December.
A first heavyweight fight for Opetaia
Opetaia is 31 and holds the WBA "regular" cruiserweight title. His record is 31-0 with 24 knockouts. Against Wilder he will box at heavyweight for the first time.
The bout is the co-main event in Cardiff. At Principality Stadium, the main event has the WBA "super" heavyweight title on the line.
What Wilder brings to the ring
Wilder is 41 and stands at 45-4-1 with 43 knockouts. He held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020. His trilogy with Fury ended with one draw and two defeats.
A fight with Joshua once looked close. A knockout loss to Zhilei Zhang in June 2024 derailed it.
Wilder has lost two of his last four fights. His most recent outing was a split-decision win over Derek Chisora in April. A win over Opetaia would make him the first professional boxer to beat the Australian.
Why the cruiserweight is moving up
Opetaia's move to Zuffa Boxing has brought complications. In September he stopped WBC champion Noel Mikaelian, yet he could not claim the belt because of a sanctioning dispute.
After that win he faced off with David Benavidez. A cruiserweight fight between them could still happen if Benavidez gets past Michal Cieslak in a three-belt unification bout.
The night itself
Main event tickets were gone within an hour, despite the late ringwalk time. Ringwalks are set for about 01:00 GMT on Saturday, 12 December, once a short live music show ends, and the doors stay open to 03:30.
The rest of the undercard has not been announced. Joe Cordina, a former IBF super-featherweight champion from Wales, is reportedly in talks to fight Manny Pacquiao.
Our View
This fight carries a different risk for each man. Opetaia gives up the safety of his weight class while his own belt situation is stuck in a dispute. Wilder gets a chance to answer questions left by his recent mixed results. The Benavidez fight at cruiserweight could still happen if Benavidez comes through his unification bout first, so that result will say a lot about what a loss or win in Cardiff is worth to Opetaia.
Source: BBC Sport