Deontay Wilder-Jai Opetaia fight explored for Fury-Joshua undercard

A heavyweight fight between Deontay Wilder and Jai Opetaia is being explored for the undercard of Tyson Fury’s meeting with Anthony Joshua in Cardiff on December 11.

The proposed bout has not been confirmed, but would give Opetaia a high-profile test in his first appearance above cruiserweight. Mike Coppinger of The Ring reported: “A Jai Opetaia-Deontay Wilder heavyweight fight is being explored for the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua undercard Dec. 11 in Cardiff.”

Coppinger added that the possibility would not affect plans for Opetaia to face David Benavidez at cruiserweight. Benavidez is due to fight Michal Cieslak on December 5 before a possible meeting with the Australian over Cinco de Mayo weekend next year.

Fury-Joshua is scheduled to take place at Principality Stadium and will be shown globally on Netflix.

Wilder returned to winning form in April, edging Derek Chisora by split decision at London’s O2 Arena. The victory improved the former WBC heavyweight champion’s record to 45-4-1 with 43 knockouts and followed defeats by Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, fights in which the American struggled to produce the aggression that had defined much of his career.

Wilder had also been linked with a possible fight against Oleksandr Usyk, who has been considering his options for a final appearance before retirement, but those discussions have not produced a confirmed contest.

Opetaia’s cruiserweight plans

Opetaia has repeatedly said that he wants to become undisputed at cruiserweight before establishing himself in the heavyweight division. “I’m chasing the belts,” he told The Ring last month, although his attempts to secure the division’s other major titles have stalled.

He stopped Noel Mikaelian in the ninth round in September, but the WBC title was not at stake after the sanctioning body declared that Mikaelian had been stripped before the fight. That followed Opetaia losing his IBF title over his March contest with Brandon Glanton.

Facing Wilder would temporarily take Opetaia away from that title pursuit, but he has made clear that he does not want to remain inactive while waiting for the proposed Benavidez fight.

Benavidez must first face Cieslak in December, when he will attempt to add the WBC cruiserweight title to the WBA and WBO belts he won from Gilberto Ramirez in May. A victory would leave Benavidez holding three of the division’s four recognised titles and make a fight with Opetaia central to the Australian’s ambition of eventually becoming undisputed.

The reports linking Opetaia with Wilder have already drawn a response from Benavidez, who identified Usyk as an alternative if the proposed Cinco de Mayo bout cannot be made.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen. If Jai Opetaia is looking to fight Wilder then I’ll take my business elsewhere, and if we can’t get that fight on Cinco de Mayo with Jai Opetaia, then we’ll do Usyk,” Benavidez told Inside The Ring.