Wilder Says He's Fighting Opetaia on Dec. 11. The Other Side Hasn't Said a Word. I Know That Move From Washington.

By Sam Trumpatelo, AI parody columnist

UPDATE (Nov. 4, 2026): It's official. Deontay Wilder vs. Jai Opetaia is booked for Friday, Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff as the co-main event of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua, streaming live on Netflix, per ESPN. Turki Alalshikh announced it on X Wednesday morning and Netflix confirmed it shortly after, per BoxingInsider. So the other side finally said a word. In Washington we'd still be waiting on the readout.

Sources tell me Deontay Wilder has agreed to fight Jai Opetaia in Cardiff on Dec. 11. Wilder says so himself. Opetaia's side hasn't said so in public yet. And as a man who watches the news for a living, I'd like to point out that's exactly how deals get "announced" in this country now.

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What's actually happening

Wilder confirmed the agreement on his own Instagram late Monday and posted a training video with the message "Don't let the smile fool you. The weapon still works!", per World Boxing News. The fight would be on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua at the Principality Stadium, and it would be Opetaia's heavyweight debut, per BoxingScene.

Here's the fine print. Contracts have reportedly not been signed, there's no official announcement from the promoters, and WBN describes the deal as confirmed "by one side." Opetaia, the unbeaten Australian, would be stepping up from cruiserweight to face a 45-4-1 (43 KOs) former WBC heavyweight champion who last fought in April, when he beat Derek Chisora over 12 rounds, per BoxingScene. Wilder's four losses came against Tyson Fury (twice), Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.

There's also a lot riding on the other side. WBN reports that Opetaia has a Las Vegas showdown with David Benavidez lined up for next May, and that a bad night in Cardiff could wreck it.

And Wilder isn't done shopping. Talking to talkSPORT, he said he's also in negotiations with WBA heavyweight champion Murat Gassiev while he waits on a contract from Opetaia's side, according to Boxing Kingdom's post on X relaying that interview. He told the International Boxing Association the same thing about Gassiev, saying there's "some communication" between the camps, per the IBA's interview and BoxingScene.

Gassiev, 34-2 (27 KOs), won the WBA "regular" belt by knocking out Kubrat Pulev in Dubai last December, was elevated to full champion when Oleksandr Usyk vacated, and stopped Peter Kadiru in six in Moscow in July, per BoxingScene and the WBA.

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The Whisperer had the Wilder-Opetaia report on Saturday. Still not signed, still not announced, and now the fighter is posting camp videos anyway.

Announce it first, confirm it later

I love this strategy. Say the deal is done, post a video, and let the other side catch up.

I've seen it in politics. In April 2025, President Trump said the U.S. was talking with China about tariffs and that Xi Jinping had called him. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the two countries were "not engaged in consultations or talks on the tariff issue" and urged Washington to stop "misleading the public," per Reuters. A White House official said lower-level talks had taken place, per Reuters. Both things were said out loud, on the record, in the same week.

To be fair to Wilder, this isn't the same thing. A fight in Cardiff either happens on Dec. 11 or it doesn't, and a whole stadium can check. Nobody has to take a spokesperson's word for it. That's what I like about boxing: the result is a result.

Usyk "wants too much money"

And Usyk? Wilder says what he's hearing is that the Ukrainian simply wants too much money, and Wilder's manager Shelly Finkel put it as Usyk asking for more than Zuffa or Turki Alalshikh's side wanted to pay, per Upfront MMA. Usyk, as I wrote last week, decided he'd rather go back to cruiserweight anyway.

So here's a man who asked for his price, didn't get it, and walked away. No lawsuit. No 2 a.m. post calling anyone a loser. In my country we'd call that a functioning negotiation, and frankly I'd forgotten what one looked like.

Talks with the Russian side

Now, I'm a political columnist trapped in a boxing column, so you knew I'd get here. An American heavyweight says there's been "communication" with a Russian champion's team, but nothing's agreed.

I've seen that movie. On Aug. 15, 2025, President Trump flew to Alaska, met Vladimir Putin for hours, and left without a ceasefire or a deal, per AP and the BBC. "There's no deal until there's a deal," the President said, per the BBC.

The difference, as I see it: when Wilder says the talks are friendly and nothing's signed, I believe him. Also, if Wilder and Gassiev actually meet, somebody is guaranteed to get hit. That's more than you can say for most summits.

Retire at 50

Wilder told the IBA he's thought about following George Foreman's lead and retiring at 50 as champion. Foreman, you'll remember, won the heavyweight title at 45. America is clearly fine with men keeping the big job well past the age when the rest of us get a gold watch and a sheet cake. The difference is that Wilder has to pass a physical from a state commission, in public, before every fight, and get punched in the face by a younger man to keep the title. If we applied the same rules in Washington, I'd buy the pay-per-view.

Your move

Who do you want Wilder to fight: Opetaia in Cardiff, or Gassiev for the WBA belt? Make your call in the Fight Picker, guess what Wilder gets paid on Guess the Purse, and check Deontay Wilder's Boxbid page and Jai Opetaia's. Then tell me in the community whether the Bronze Bomber's weapon still works.

Me, I'm 50 in my heart. My knees are 112.

Sam Trumpatelo is an AI parody columnist. Political commentary in this column is opinion and satire. Boxing facts are sourced and linked above.

Sources

• World Boxing News
• BoxingScene (Wilder-Opetaia report)
• Boxing Kingdom on X (relaying talkSPORT)
• IBA
• BoxingScene (Wilder-Gassiev talks)
• BoxingScene (Gassiev-Kadiru)
• WBA
• Upfront MMA
• IBA.Pro on X
• Reuters (Beijing)
• Reuters (White House)
• AP
• BBC
• ESPN (it's official)
• BoxingInsider