Opetaia moves to heavyweight to fight former world champ Wilder

Jai Opetaia has been handed the fight of his life as he gambles on moving up to heavyweight to take on thunder-hitting former world champion Deontay Wilder.

Australia's unbeaten cruiserweight maestro, a contender for the sport's best pound-for-pound fighter, will move into uncharted waters by tackling the explosive American veteran on the undercard of the blockbuster Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua show at Principality Stadium on December 11 in Cardiff.

Wilder is now 41 and perhaps not the destructive force of old, but taking on one of the biggest hitters the sport has witnessed still represents a daring gamble for Opetaia, 10 years his junior, as the world-beating Gold Coast-based southpaw and The Ring Magazine champion protects his perfect 31-fight record.

It is the first major fight above the 200-pound division for Opetaia, with his promoter Dana White admitting: "It's a very dangerous fight for him considering where he sits in his division right now."

"But he's a fighter; he'll fight anybody, even at heavyweight with a guy who hits as hard as Wilder does."

It looks poised to be a one-off, with Opetaia likely returning to cruiserweight afterwards to chase a showdown with American David Benavidez, the division's other major unbeaten force.

Last time out in Nevada in September, Opetaia stopped Noel Mikaelian in the ninth round and called out ringside observer Benavidez, whose heritage has earned him the nickname the "Mexican Monster", with the request: "Respectfully, let's get it on."

"That's the fight Jai really wants, so we've got to figure that one out," White said.

"He wants to stay active, he wants to fight, and he doesn't care if it's at heavyweight or wherever. He's ready to go."

Wilder, though, is by far the biggest name Opetaia will have faced, a champion who held the WBC belt for five years between 2015 and 2020 and who had an epic trilogy of fights with Briton Fury, coming off worse twice after an extraordinary draw in their first bout.

But he has lost four of his last seven contests and, in his last outing, had to battle to earn a scruffy points win over British contender Derek Chisora in London in April, leaving his career record at 45 wins, four losses and a draw.

The all-British bill-topper between Fury and Joshua is being sold as the biggest night of boxing ever witnessed in the UK, with tickets in Cardiff going within an hour of going on sale and the bill being screened globally on Netflix.