Wilder to Face Opetaia on the Fury vs Joshua Card in Cardiff
Deontay Wilder will fight Jai Opetaia in December, on the same night as Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua, the BBC reports.
The Fury vs Joshua fight is scheduled for Friday, 11 December 2026, at Cardiff's Principality Stadium. The WBA "super" heavyweight title is on the line. The WBA is one of boxing's four major sanctioning bodies, the organisations that certify official world champions, and its "super" title is the version held by the sport's top heavyweight.
Wilder against Opetaia is the co-main event, the second-biggest bout on the night. It is a clash of two very different careers.
Wilder is a former WBC heavyweight champion, a title he held from 2015 to 2020. His professional record is 45 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw, with 43 knockouts. He has met Fury three times, drawing once and losing twice. His most recent fight was a split-decision win over Derek Chisora in April. A split decision means the three judges did not all agree on the winner, and the majority scored it for Wilder.
Opetaia comes in as the unbeaten WBA "regular" cruiserweight champion. Cruiserweight is one division below heavyweight, and the WBA's "regular" title sits a rung below its "super" version. His record stands at 31 wins with no losses, and 24 of those wins came by knockout. He will move up to heavyweight for the first time to face Wilder, which means a bigger opponent and a heavier weight class.
For casual fans, the main thing to know is the change in weight. Heavyweights are the largest fighters in boxing, and a move up from cruiserweight is a significant test of size and power. Wilder is one of the division's best-known punchers. Opetaia has never fought at this weight before, so the fight is a true unknown for him.
Demand for the Cardiff card has been strong. BBC Sport reports that tickets for Fury vs Joshua sold out in under an hour.
Ringwalks, the entrances fighters make before a bout, are expected to begin around 01:00 GMT on Saturday, 12 December, following a short live music performance. That means the main event will run late into the night, after the Friday date printed on the card.
Fury and Joshua have been among the biggest names in heavyweight boxing for years, and the undercard gives Wilder and Opetaia a stage on a night built around them. Whatever happens in Cardiff, the Wilder fight will be a test of whether a cruiserweight champion can handle heavyweight power, and whether a former champion can still rise to a big occasion.
