Wilder vs Opetaia confirmed for Fury vs Joshua undercard as unbeaten Australian steps up to heavyweight

Deontay Wilder will face Jai Opetaia on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard, with the unbeaten Australian moving up to heavyweight to take on the former WBC champion.

Netflix confirmed the fight on Wednesday, adding it to the bill at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Friday 11 December.

The announcement follows weeks of negotiations over a contest between one of heavyweight boxing’s most powerful punchers and a fighter who has built his reputation at cruiserweight.

Our earlier report on the Wilder–Opetaia talks covered the proposed agreement before the broadcaster’s confirmation.

Wilder vs Opetaia: unbeaten cruiserweight steps up

Opetaia brings a perfect 31-fight professional record into the contest. The Australian won the IBF cruiserweight title in 2022, a decade after representing his country at the London Olympics aged 16.

He now faces an opponent whose career has been spent at heavyweight. Wilder held the WBC title from 2015 to 2020 and fought Fury three times between 2018 and 2021.

The American, a bronze medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has a professional record of 45 wins, four defeats and one draw.

Fighter	Professional record
Deontay Wilder	45 wins, four defeats, one draw
Jai Opetaia	31 wins, no defeats

Manny Pacquiao will not feature, says Eddie Hearn

Manny Pacquiao had also been linked with the Cardiff show, but Eddie Hearn has ruled out his involvement.

“I know that Pacquiao is not on the card,” the Matchroom promoter told IFL TV, in comments reported by Boxing News.

Joe Cordina and Paddy Donovan had each spoken about talks over facing the Filipino. Hearn’s statement ends the prospect of either meeting Pacquiao on this bill, although it does not establish when Pacquiao will next fight.

His most recent appearance came against Mario Barrios in July 2025, when their WBC welterweight title contest ended in a majority draw.

Fury vs Joshua undercard: fights confirmed by Netflix

Netflix’s updated card announcement names two contests so far:

• Main event: Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua.
• Heavyweight undercard: Deontay Wilder vs Jai Opetaia.

The entire event will stream live worldwide on Netflix, with no additional charge for members. A separate start time for Wilder vs Opetaia has not been announced.

See our Fury vs Joshua fight guide for more on the Cardiff event and planned timings.