American boxer Deontay Wilder is set to fight Australia's Jai Opetaia on the undercard of the highly anticipated Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua bout in December. The fight will serve as the co-main event for the heavyweight championship match, scheduled to take place at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.
Opetaia, the undefeated WBA (regular) cruiserweight champion, will make his heavyweight debut against Wilder, a former WBC heavyweight titleholder known for his knockout power. Wilder, with a record of 45 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw (43 KOs), aims to re-establish himself among the top heavyweights after a career that included a long reign as champion and an epic trilogy with Fury. Opetaia enters the bout with an undefeated record of 31 wins and 24 knockouts.
Wilder previously held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020. His last outing in June 2024 resulted in a knockout loss to Zhilei Zhang, which had previously jeopardized potential matchups with Joshua.
Tickets for the main event sold out quickly, with ringwalks expected around 1:00 AM GMT on Saturday, December 12. The stadium is scheduled to remain open until 3:30 AM. Details on the remaining undercard fights are yet to be announced. There is speculation that Wales' former IBF super-featherweight champion Joe Cordina may be in negotiations for a fight against Manny Pacquiao.