American Deontay Wilder will fight Australian Jai Opetaia on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard in December. The fight will serve as a co-main event for the much-anticipated all-British heavyweight fight, with the WBA ‘super’ heavyweight title on the line at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Undefeated WBA ‘regular’ cruiserweight champion Opetaia, 31, will move up to heavyweight for the first time to fight Wilder, a former world champion with 43 knockouts. Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KOs) will hope to re-establish himself among the heavyweight elite, while Opetaia (31-0, 24 KOs) could be considering a new challenge, after years of dominance at cruiserweight. 41 years old, he held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020 and is considered one of the most feared punchers of his generation. The American also enjoyed an epic trilogy with Fury, but came out on the losing end with a draw and two losses. Wilder had also been close to facing Joshua, but a knockout loss against China’s Zhilei Zhang in June 2024 derailed the potential fight. Tickets for the main event sold out in less than an hour, although ring walks are expected to begin around 01:00 GMT on Saturday, December 12, after a short live music performance, with the stadium remaining open until 03:30. The remaining fights on the card have yet to be announced, with former Welsh IBF super featherweight champion Joe Cordina believed to be in negotiations to fight Manny Pacquiao.
