Deontay Wilder‘s return to the ring on the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua undercard has been officially announced.

The former WBC heavyweight champion was last in action back in April when he claimed a split decision victory over Derek Chisora at The O2 Arena in London.

It saw Wilder make it back to back wins after his seventh round stoppage against Tyrrell Herndon in June 2025, following a poor run of form that saw ‘The Bronze Bomber’ lose four of his last five contests before that.

Since the triumph against Chisora, Wilder had been linked to a clash with heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk, but after that bout failed to materialise, it has now been confirmed that the American will meet Jai Opetaia on the Fury vs. Joshua bill next month.

OFFICIAL: Deontay Wilder vs. Jai Opetaia joins the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua card in Cardiff, Wales.

Opetaia, the cruiserweight champion, moves up to heavyweight to face Wilder, one of the biggest punchers in boxing history.

Friday December 11
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Opetaia is a two-time IBF cruiserweight champion, but has lost the belt on both occasions outside of the ring, the latest of those coming after a dispute with the governing body earlier this year saw him stripped of the title after his signing with Zuffa Boxing.

Despite no longer holding a world title, Opetaia is still regarded as one of the best cruiserweights in the world, and after his ninth round stoppage win over Noel Mikaelian in September, he currently holds an unbeaten record of 31-0.

He will now step up to heavyweight for the clash against Wilder at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on December 11, and even though he will be heading into a new weight class, the Australian is still set to be seen as a big favourite.

A victory for Opetaia could set up a huge showdown at cruiserweight against David Benavidez in 2027, but ‘The Mexican Monster’ may also be about to turn his attention to a clash with Usyk next year, after the Ukrainian announced his plans to return to 200lbs.

Terence Crawford appears ready to talk business, yet Canelo Alvarez wanting a rematch is only part of the equation. The real hurdle sits with whether Turki Alalshikh will supply the massive purse required to draw Crawford out of retirement.

“Hurry up I don’t got forever or all day to be waiting,” Crawford posted on X.

A rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford makes almost zero financial sense unless someone is comfortable eating an astronomical deficit just for the ego trip of staging it.

Crawford walked away from their first meeting with the undisputed crown, his undefeated record intact, and an estimated $50 million. If he comes out of retirement, he expects a raise, not a pay cut, and talk has suggested he wants numbers pushing toward nine figures. But where does the return on investment come from?

If Turki saw real value in a second meeting, the contract would already be signed and announced. The hesitation tells you everything about how that first fight went over behind closed doors. Turki is a fan who wants value for his money. He pays for violence, drama, and events that generate genuine international buzz. Crawford delivered none of that.

Crawford took the check, executed a safe, low-risk game plan, and left Las Vegas with the belts while the broadcast limped across the finish line. Why would any backer voluntarily line up to pay Crawford another record sum to repeat that exact same performance? The market has moved past Crawford anyway. At 168 pounds, there are younger, hungry fighters who fight with bad intentions, bring high punch volume, and come at a fraction of Crawford’s price tag.

From a pure boxing standpoint, taking no damage and collecting an enormous check makes sense for Crawford’s retirement fund. From a promoter’s standpoint, spending tens of millions to watch a guy jab, reset, circle, and coast to a decision feels like burning money.

When an event bleeds cash, promoters usually swallow the loss if it generates fanatical public demand for a sequel. That demand does not exist. Nobody outside of Canelo’s immediate camp is clamoring to see Crawford repeat the same cautious tactical performance. Canelo wants redemption because that loss damages his commercial standing, but Canelo wanting to fix his record is not Turki’s problem to solve with another fortune.

Throw in Crawford wanting a raise on top of what he made previously, and the proposition becomes absurd. Paying more money for a fight that previously delivered tepid action, zero viral highlights, and heavy financial losses defies basic logic. Unless Turki decides he simply wants to throw away millions to grant Canelo a personal favor, the checkbook stays shut.

Crawford is notoriously low-key and uninterested in selling fights outside the ring, and Canelo never plays the villain to get fans interested. Neither fighter is going to manufacture an entertaining promotional run to convince casual fans to shell out top dollar.

Canelo can campaign for the matchup publicly, but he cannot bankroll it alone. Just because Turki funded their first bout does not ensure the same checkbook opens for an encore, particularly at the price Crawford likely demands.

Even Saudi backers have to look at the balance sheet when the opening event already carried massive overhead and likely finished well in the red. Sinking another $120 million to $150 million into combined purses for two quiet personalities who produced a tactical chess match the first time around is an easy way to burn cash.

Canelo might want the opportunity to erase the blemish on his record, especially after getting past Christian Mbilli to pick up the WBC belt again. But wanting revenge and convincing someone to lose tens of millions of dollars to stage it are entirely different realities.

Terence Crawford is calling out Ryan Garcia for a fight at 160 pounds, then taking cheap shots at him for chasing Floyd Mayweather. Crawford claims he wants back in, but calling out a guy two divisions below him is blatant cherry-picking when Jaron “Boots” Ennis is sitting right there at 154 with nobody to fight.

“What’s up @RyanGarcia 160?” Crawford posted on X.

Then came the fake apology: “Mybad @RyanGarcia you got Mayweather to focused on I forgot.”

Crawford is obviously hunting for an easy payday off Garcia’s social media followers. Dragging Garcia all the way to middleweight gives Crawford every physical advantage before the bell even rings. If Crawford actually wanted a challenge instead of an exhibition against a smaller name, Ennis is the guy who deserves the call.

Going after Garcia over Mayweather makes sense on paper. Garcia chasing a retired grandfather in an exhibition proves he prefers spectacle over real competition. Crawford has plenty of room to mock that circus, but begging Garcia to jump to 160 makes Crawford look just as desperate for a soft touch.

Then comes the money delusion. Crawford has not named an official price, but everyone knows he expects crazy money to lace up the gloves again. The problem is nobody is lining up to write an eight-figure check for this nonsense.

That exact greed is why the Canelo Alvarez rematch never happened. Canelo and Eddy Reynoso both talked about wanting the fight, but talk does not pay purses. Crawford expects Saudi-level payouts without anyone willing to bankroll his fantasy numbers.

Without an outside billionaire picking up the tab, ticket sales and regular pay-per-view buys would have to cover the whole bill. Normal fans are not paying massive prices to watch Crawford bully Garcia at middleweight. Crawford either accepts normal market money, or he stays home on his couch.

Right now, Crawford offered an absurd weight and some weak social media trash talk instead of a real fight proposal. Tweeting at Garcia is easy. Finding someone willing to overpay for Crawford to pick on small fighters is the part that will keep him retired.

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