A deal has reportedly been agreed for Deontay Wilder to fight Jai Opetaia on the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua undercard, even though the bout is not signed yet. That would put Wilder and Opetaia on the same show as Fury and Joshua on December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
The update matters because it moves the matchup out of the realm of speculation and onto a card that is expected to draw a large audience. Dan Rafael wrote on X that, per source, the deal is agreed for Wilder-Opetaia to be on the #FuryJoshua card, while stressing that it remains unsigned.
For Opetaia, the appeal is obvious. He would be moving up in weight for a heavyweight fight that could give him access to Netflix's larger audience before he returns to cruiserweight. That also fits the broader picture around him: Dana White had already said Wilder was among the opponents being considered, and he said David Benavidez is the fight Opetaia wants. A bout with Wilder is a different path, but it would still give Opetaia a big stage.
Wilder brings a different kind of value. He has won his last two fights, and his latest victory was a narrow split decision over Derek Chisora in April. But the shine on that result sits beside a harsher run: before those two wins, he lost four of five bouts, and three of those defeats came by stoppage. That is why this matchup is being framed as a chance for Opetaia to raise his profile rather than simply chase a name.
The unresolved part is also the most important one. A deal can be agreed and still leave the fight unfinished, and that is where this one stands. If the paper is signed, Wilder and Opetaia would join a card built around Fury and Joshua. If it is not, the headline stays hypothetical and Opetaia keeps waiting for the heavyweight door to open.
