The official announcement of the fight between Deontay Wilder and Jai Opetaia, who will face each other on December 11 in Cardiff on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua, has sparked mixed reactions. Some are genuinely intrigued by the matchup, which will also see Opetaia move up to heavyweight for the first time. Others believe that continuing to fight represents a major risk for Wilder, who recently turned 41 and has appeared to be in sharp decline in his latest bouts. Tyson Fury, who has shared the ring with the Bronze Bomber three times, belongs firmly in the latter camp.
Here is what the Gypsy King had to say on the subject during an interview with FightHype:
“It’s silly really, on Deontay’s part. He shouldn’t be in the ring, he should be nowhere near a ring. It is a dying shame that this man has to continue to fight after he is shot to bits.
He should have never fought again after I beat him, the last time, that should have been the end of it, but needs must. If you are getting knocked out by people that you probably should have knocked out yourself, then you should walk away.
Him and Chisora looked shockingly terrible when they fought. Chisora is like 145 years old. And he was taking Wilder’s knockout-power shots – that are not there anymore – flush in the face, not even budging him.
It’s a hard thing to walk away from. And we’ve seen so many of the greats come back for whatever reason over the years – usually financial reasons. And it’s a hard one to see. A sad state of affairs to be honest.”