Opetaia Gears Up for Potential Wilder Heavyweight Blockbuster!
Unbeaten Australian cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia is deep into fight camp for a potential heavyweight showdown against Deontay Wilder. This high-stakes bout is slated for December's major European boxing event, despite concerns from David Benavidez regarding Wilder's formidable power. Meanwhile, Tasman Fighters stablemate Max McIntyre prepares for his own title defense.Australian cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, currently unbeaten with a 31-0 record, has commenced a fight camp in anticipation of a significant potential move to the heavyweight division. He is currently in discussions with former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder for a possible clash in December. This high-profile bout is slated to be part of the Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua card at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, an event projected to be the most lucrative ever staged in Europe, with over $50 million in gate takings and record-breaking pay-per-view and streaming figures, ranking it as the fourth-highest of all time.
While the bout is not yet a finalized deal and Opetaia is one of several options for Wilder, the Australian knockout artist is preparing rigorously at his Gold Coast base. Opetaia's recent career has been eventful, marked by a US court dispute with the IBF, which stripped him of their belt after he won Dana White's Zuffa Boxing rebel league's inaugural world title. He subsequently defeated WBC champion Noel Mikaelian in September in Las Vegas, a fight for which Mikaelian also relinquished his belt to face Opetaia.
Following these events, Opetaia and David Benavidez had verbally agreed to a highly anticipated duel set for May of the following year, after Benavidez's three-belt unification match against Michal Cieslak in September. However, Opetaia is keen to maintain activity and elevate his profile by potentially facing Wilder, who, despite being 40, presents a considerable threat due to his height and renowned punching power. Benavidez has expressed concerns about this potential matchup, stating, "I don't want Jai to fight Wilder. Wilder, he has that right hand. And it's fast. Opetaia surprised me in his last fight, because he got hurt like four times. And Mikaelian is super slow. You can say whatever you want about Wilder, but he still has that cannon."
In related news, Max McIntyre, Opetaia's stablemate from Tasman Fighters, has secured his next fight. The super middleweight McIntyre (11-0) is set to face Francis Waitai in New Zealand on December 4. McIntyre will defend his IBF Pan Pacific and WBC Australasian titles in this trans-Tasman clash against New Zealand's top-ranked fighter in the division.