Tyson Fury says Deontay Wilder is ‘shot to bits’ before Jai Opetaia fight

Tyson Fury has criticised Deontay Wilder’s decision to fight Jai Opetaia on his undercard, saying his former rival is “shot to bits” and should have retired after their third meeting.

Wilder, 41, will face Opetaia at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 11 December, with the Australian making his heavyweight debut in the chief-support bout to Fury’s fight against Anthony Joshua.

But Fury believes the contest is the wrong choice for the former WBC champion, whose power and recent performances he questioned in an interview with Fight Hype.

“He should not be in the ring,” Fury said, in comments published by The Independent. “It’s a dying shame that this man has to continue to fight when he’s shot to bits.”

Tyson Fury says Wilder should have stopped after trilogy

Fury and Wilder fought three times between 2018 and 2021. Their first meeting ended in a draw before Fury won both rematches by stoppage, taking the American’s WBC title in February 2020.

The third contest, in October 2021, brought another Fury victory. He believes it should also have brought an end to Wilder’s career.

“He should never have fought again after I beat him the last time,” Fury said. “That should have been the end of it. But, needs must.”

Fury was equally dismissive of Wilder’s split-decision victory over Derek Chisora in April, arguing that the American no longer carried the threat that once made him one of the division’s most feared punchers.

“Him and Chisora were shockingly terrible when they fought,” he said.

His assessment was that the contest would have ended much sooner had the pair met five years earlier. Wilder’s victory kept his career moving, but it did little to persuade Fury that he should continue.

Wilder arrives after wins over Herndon and Chisora

Wilder has suffered four professional defeats, three by stoppage. Two came against Fury, followed by a points loss to Joseph Parker and a stoppage defeat by Zhilei Zhang.

He has since won twice. Wilder stopped Tyrrell Herndon in the seventh round in June 2025 before beating Chisora on points in London this April, as recorded on his Premier Boxing Champions profile.

That sequence matters: the Chisora result was his second successive victory, rather than the fight that ended his losing run.

Former world champion Barry McGuigan was nevertheless unconvinced by the performance. In his Daily Mirror column, he questioned how much encouragement Wilder could take from a narrow win over the veteran Briton.

Jai Opetaia faces first heavyweight test

Opetaia, 31, steps up from cruiserweight with an unbeaten record of 31 wins, including 24 knockouts.

The move presents a different challenge against a former heavyweight champion, although McGuigan argued that the size difference may be less pronounced than the change of division suggests.

Wilder has sometimes weighed more than 230lb but has often fought below 220lb. McGuigan described that lower figure as close to Opetaia’s weight outside competition.

The former featherweight champion backed Opetaia to win by stoppage, either inside the opening three rounds or by gradually wearing Wilder down before the championship rounds.

Fury’s criticism and McGuigan’s prediction add to the scrutiny around a contest that gives Opetaia an immediate opportunity against one of heavyweight boxing’s best-known names.

When is Wilder against Opetaia?

Wilder faces Opetaia on the Fury-Joshua bill at the Principality Stadium on Friday 11 December 2026.

Fury and Joshua, both former two-time world heavyweight champions, headline the Cardiff event after winning their respective summer contests against Mariusz Wach and Kristian Prenga.

Read our Fury v Joshua fight guide for event details and our Fury vs Joshua undercard coverage for the supporting bill.