Tyson Fury has torn into Deontay Wilder after hearing that Wilder is set to face Jai Opetaia on his undercard, saying the former world champion should not be anywhere near a ring. Fury said Wilder is treading dangerous ground, described him as a shell of himself and called it a dying shame that he is still being asked to fight.
The comments land now because Fury was reacting directly to the next step in Wilder’s career, not an old rivalry resurfacing on its own. He said he had heard about the Opetaia fight and called the move “silly” for Wilder’s side, making clear that he does not believe the American is fit to continue professionally at this point.
Fury, who beat Wilder the last time they fought, said the defeat should have ended the comeback there. In his view, Wilder was already past his best before this latest matchup talk even surfaced, and the fact that he is still being matched in major events is exactly what Fury finds hard to accept. He also pointed to the wider pattern of aging fighters staying in the game for too long.
That criticism sharpened when Fury linked Wilder’s situation to what he called a shockingly bad showing with Chisora the other day. Fury said Chisora is like 145 years old and still took Wilder’s punchless shots flush without budging, adding that if the two had been matched five years ago, it would not have lasted one round. It was a blunt way of saying the threat that once made Wilder dangerous is gone.
Fury did leave room for the reason many fighters stay active even when the risks are obvious. He said it is hard to walk away and that many greats return for financial reasons, calling it a sad state of affairs. But his conclusion on Wilder was not softened by that understanding: he said Wilder should not be fighting, should not be near a ring and is no longer the fighter he once was.
What remains unclear is the timing and final shape of the Wilder-Opetaia fight itself. Fury’s remarks have only made the next bout harder to ignore, because they frame it as a test of whether Wilder is being protected by the matchup or exposed by it.
