Deontay Wilder Accepts Terms for Jai Opetaia Fight on Fury-Joshua Card
Wilder's team has agreed to face the cruiserweight king at heavyweight on the Fury vs Joshua undercard in Cardiff.
Deontay Wilder's side has agreed to terms for a heavyweight showdown with cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard, per Dan Rafael.
Manager Shelly Finkel confirmed to Rafael that the team gave the green light for the fight. The bout still needs final sanctioning and an official announcement, but the agreement moves what was previously described as exploratory talks into something much more concrete.
Opetaia, the reigning IBF and Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion, would be moving up to heavyweight to take on Wilder. It is a fascinating stylistic clash: Opetaia is a slick, technically gifted southpaw who has cleaned out the 200-pound division, while Wilder remains one of the most dangerous punchers in boxing history despite his recent struggles.
Finkel also noted that discussions about a possible fight with Murat Gassiev took place, but the Opetaia matchup appears to be the priority.
The fight would land on one of the biggest cards of the year. Fury vs Joshua is set for December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, an event that sold out its 80,000 seats in under an hour. Adding Wilder vs Opetaia to the undercard would give the event even more firepower and international appeal.
Wilder has not fought since his loss to Zhilei Zhang in June 2024. At 40 years old, questions linger about how much the former WBC champion has left. But Wilder has never been easy to count out when the right hand is loaded.
I like this fight a lot, and I did not expect to say that. Opetaia is one of the most skilled fighters in boxing right now, and he has nothing left to prove at cruiserweight. Moving up to face Wilder on a card this big is a calculated risk with massive upside.
For Wilder, this is a lifeline. He has been inactive for over two years and the last image we have of him is getting stopped by Zhang. But here is the thing about Deontay Wilder: the right hand never ages out. He does not need to be sharp for 12 rounds. He needs one clean shot.
Opetaia should win this fight. He is younger, more active, more technical. But if you are laying big money on him, just remember who is standing across the ring. Wilder makes every fight interesting because he can end it in a blink. This is the kind of undercard fight that steals the show.
