Unbeaten cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia will move up to heavyweight to face former WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder on the undercard of the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua blockbuster scheduled for December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The 12-round bout was confirmed Wednesday by Saudi Arabian financier Turki Alalshikh and Zuffa Boxing chief Dana White.
Opetaia (31-0, 24 KOs) and Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KOs) bring a combined 67 knockouts to the ring. White described the matchup as a crossroads fight between one of the sport's most dangerous punchers and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters. The event, promoted by Sela in association with Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Sport, will air live worldwide on Netflix.
The 31-year-old Australian southpaw, a 2012 Olympian, stands 6-foot-2 and will concede four inches in height and seven inches in reach to the 41-year-old Wilder. Opetaia recently captured the inaugural Zuffa cruiserweight title with a decision over Brandon Glanton in March and stopped WBC titleholder Noel Mikaelian in September. Wilder, a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, won the WBC heavyweight crown in 2015 and made 10 defenses before losing twice to Fury. After defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, Wilder rebounded with a split-decision victory over Derek Chisora in April.
