Jai Opetaia, who stopped Noel Mikaelian, to fight Deontay Wilder on Fury-Joshua card
Jai Opetaia, the unbeaten Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight champion, will box at heavyweight for the first time since 2017 when he meets the former WBC champion at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on 11 December.
Post by @ringmagazine on X
Former WBC champion Deontay Wilder will face Jai Opetaia at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 11 December, Netflix announced on Wednesday, adding a heavyweight bout to the card topped by Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
The fight moves Opetaia (31-0) up from cruiserweight, where he holds the Zuffa Boxing title. He signed with Dana White's organisation in 2026, won its inaugural cruiserweight belt by beating Brandon Glanton in March and retained it by stopping Noel Mikaelian in the ninth round in September.
Wilder (45-4-1) has knocked out or stopped 43 of the men he has beaten. He arrives in Wales on a two-fight winning run, which ended a 1-4 slump that included defeats by Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, as well as two losses to Fury.
Eddie Hearn has questioned the involvement of White, the UFC chief executive, in the promotion of Fury vs Joshua.
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