Deontay Wilder has reportedly agreed to face one of the sport\u2019s pound-for-pound biggest punchers on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua.<\/p>\n
The former WBC champion is something of a knockout specialist himself, despite having reached a stage where many feel he is on the brink of retirement.<\/p>\n
Even at the age of 41, though, Wilder is considered a dangerous heavyweight who happens to be coming off a split decision victory over fellow veteran Derek Chisora<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n Back then, he scored two knockdowns in a largely chaotic 12-round contest, before revisiting negotiations for a potential clash with Oleksandr Usyk.<\/p>\n Ultimately, those talks were scrapped and Wilder instead became linked with Jai Opetaia, who comes off a ninth-round finish over Noel Mikaelian last month.<\/p>\n As a result, the former two-time world champion kept himself in the mix to face David Benavidez, with their cruiserweight showdown having been verbally agreed for May 2027.<\/p>\n Before then, however, Opetaia \u2013 undefeated with 24 knockouts from 31 wins \u2013 has reportedly agreed to move up to heavyweight and square off with Wilder on December 11.<\/p>\n Taking to social media, boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported this as a likely addition to the Fury-Joshua card at Cardiff\u2019s Principality Stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cPer source, while it\u2019s not signed yet, [a] deal is agreed to for Wilder-Opetaia to be on the [Fury-Joshua] card.\u201d<\/p>\n News: Per source, while it’s not signed yet, deal is agreed to for Wilder-Opetaia to be on the #FuryJoshua<\/a> card. #boxing<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) October 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n While Opetaia seems the more likely opponent, Wilder has also been linked with Murat Gassiev, who currently holds the WBA \u2018regular\u2019 heavyweight title.<\/p>\n