Fury vs Joshua undercard: Deal agreed for heavyweight showdown

On December 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua is finally set to happen, with this massive event shown live and exclusively around the world on Netflix. Fury vs Joshua often felt like it would never happen, and now it looks to finally be happening with the WBA “super” heavyweight title on the line. Many in the sport have shared their predictions, and there have been plenty of rumours about the undercard, and Dan Rafael has revealed, as per a source, that a deal for Deontay Wilder vs Jai Opetaia has been agreed.

Fury vs Joshua: Recent form ahead of December 11

Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) once again retired after losing the rematch to Oleksandr Usyk, but did return to much fanfare, defeating Arslanbek Makhmudov before beating Mariusz Wach in Thailand. “The Gypsy King” is still best known for his victories against Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder.

Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) has been a phenomenon for British boxing since winning Olympic gold in 2012. Since losing to Daniel Dubois, AJ has only fought twice, dominating and stopping Jake Paul, before surviving a horror first round, where he was knocked down twice against Kristian Prenga, before coming back and stopping him in the second round.

Fury vs Joshua undercard: Deontay Wilder vs Jai Opetaia: Deal agreed

Many are speculating on who will appear on the Fury vs Joshua undercard, and Dan Rafael has now revealed, as per a source, that a “deal is agreed” for Deontay Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KOs) to face Jai Opetaia (31-0, 24 KOs). Rafael has also revealed it’s not signed yet, but a deal is agreed for Opetaia to move up to heavyweight and face the big-punching American.

After losing to Zhilei Zhang in 2024, it looked like that was the end for “The Bronze Bomber.” However, Wilder has indeed returned and beaten Tyrrell Herndon and Derek Chisora. Opetaia has not achieved what he should have, and this comes down to promotional issues and some fighters not willing to face the fearsome Australian. Opetaia has fought twice in 2026, defeating Brandon Glanton and Noel Mikaelian.

The Big Fight Weekend verdict

This likely move to heavyweight for Opetaia is a fascinating one, and a great fit for the Fury vs Joshua undercard. Many will say, “But why can’t he face David Benavidez or Gilberto Ramirez?” and you are not wrong. I would rather see Opetaia vs Benavidez, but a fight against Wilder is an intriguing one. For me, it’s still unclear what Wilder has left. He looked sloppy for large parts against Chisora, but the Brit was trying to drag him into that kind of fight.

Opetaia has shown he carries plenty of power at cruiserweight but can also get hit, and if Wilder can land flush on the Aussie, it will be interesting to see if he can take that heavyweight power. Opetaia is accurate with his work, and if his power translates to heavyweight, Wilder will have to be wary of the power coming back. If this fight gets confirmed, we are backing Opetaia to be too accurate for Wilder and stop the American in the second half of the fight.

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