BoxRec

mickey1975 wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:46

gilgamesh wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:41

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:39

Give your head a shake man. Wilder was never #1.

He may have been thought of as the man to beat if his proposed fight with Povetkin had ever come off, but it didn't, but Fury had definitely taken a lot of the cache off of being the Lineal Champion by pulling a Dempsey and not fighting for years. I get the feeling as much as Fury goes away and comes back and goes away and realizes he misses it and comes back again.

He'll probably really regret wasting so many of them prime years as he did. He might already regret it, but then again if he hadn't wasted those years, maybe he would've been knocked off the Mountain before Turki came along with his obscene amounts of money. So maybe it was all for the best in the long run.

So many strange circumstances in how the World of Boxing works. So many moving parts.

It gets forgotten that Wilder was signed and ready to fight Povetkin in Moscow.

I remember it. But a fight that almost happened is worth as much as a Foul ball that was almost a Home run. Nothing.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:48

mickey1975 wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:46

gilgamesh wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:41

He may have been thought of as the man to beat if his proposed fight with Povetkin had ever come off, but it didn't, but Fury had definitely taken a lot of the cache off of being the Lineal Champion by pulling a Dempsey and not fighting for years. I get the feeling as much as Fury goes away and comes back and goes away and realizes he misses it and comes back again.

He'll probably really regret wasting so many of them prime years as he did. He might already regret it, but then again if he hadn't wasted those years, maybe he would've been knocked off the Mountain before Turki came along with his obscene amounts of money. So maybe it was all for the best in the long run.

So many strange circumstances in how the World of Boxing works. So many moving parts.

It gets forgotten that Wilder was signed and ready to fight Povetkin in Moscow.

I remember it. But a fight that almost happened is worth as much as a Foul ball that was almost a Home run. Nothing.

Not when his biggest criticism is his CV. He tried to fight Povetkin, Femi’s team shit theirselves after Wlad nearly chinned him and then did box Fury, the lineal champ, three times.

Who the f*ck is Femi?

mickey1975 wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:52

gilgamesh wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:48

mickey1975 wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:46
It gets forgotten that Wilder was signed and ready to fight Povetkin in Moscow.

I remember it. But a fight that almost happened is worth as much as a Foul ball that was almost a Home run. Nothing.

Not when his biggest criticism is his CV. He tried to fight Povetkin, Femi’s team shit theirselves after Wlad nearly chinned him and then did box Fury, the lineal champ, three times.

So did Chisora, does that make him one of the top guys?

mickey1975 wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:17 Whilst Tyson was serving a ban for testing positive for steroids Joshua and Wilder held the belts. Wilder was generally regarded as number one by Fury fans as soon as Fury chose to fight him instead of Joshua.

Fixed it for you

joshj909 wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 17:06

mickey1975 wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:52

gilgamesh wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:48

I remember it. But a fight that almost happened is worth as much as a Foul ball that was almost a Home run. Nothing.

Not when his biggest criticism is his CV. He tried to fight Povetkin, Femi’s team shit theirselves after Wlad nearly chinned him and then did box Fury, the lineal champ, three times.

So did Chisora, does that make him one of the top guys?

If you don't know the difference between the two trilogies, then im afraid I can't help. I've made my points...

joshj909 wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 17:10

mickey1975 wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:17 Whilst Tyson was serving a ban for testing positive for steroids Joshua and Wilder held the belts. Wilder was generally regarded as number one by Fury fans as soon as Fury chose to fight him instead of Joshua.

Fixed it for you

Ok. So what's the point in this forum if people can just do things like that?

And on that note, I'll leave the casuals to ruin the forum... bye lads.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:54 Who the f*ck is Femi?

AJ, his middle name is Oluwafemi

mickey1975 wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 17:12 And on that note, I'll leave the casuals to ruin the forum... bye lads.

Your original post is still there. So even if somebody quotes you, and edits your post for comedic purposes, pulling the ol Fugmo on ya as it were. It shouldn't be seen as all that big a deal as your original comment still remains.

Controversial wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 17:33

gilgamesh wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:54 Who the f*ck is Femi?

AJ, his middle name is Oluwafemi

Ahh ok. Weird to refer to him by half of his Middle name

gilgamesh wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 17:40

Controversial wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 17:33

gilgamesh wrote: ↑11 Oct 2026, 16:54 Who the f*ck is Femi?

AJ, his middle name is Oluwafemi

Ahh ok. Weird to refer to him by half of his Middle name

He’s funny like that..

Lu?

How can Mickey be such a sensible poster about everything except Fury?

It's like watching a trump voter trying to explain away trumps latest nonsense.

Interesting fight, on the face of it Jai is in his prime and Wilder is a long time past it, but he’s got massive physical advantages and if I was in Jai’s camp, I wouldn’t want his chin getting tested by Wilder at all.

Seems like another daft novelty fight that nobody asked for.

And what are the chances afterwards that Opetaia and Benavidez will perform better as heavyweights? Pissing around with one of the most appealing match ups in boxing right now.

NETFLIX give green light to SELA to finalise Opetaia vs Wilder!

As I reported last week, SELA want the Fury vs Joshua undercard completed within the next 14 days to present Netflix with the full card.

I’m told by a source that Opetaia vs Wilder has received the green light from Netflix executives in the last 24-48 hours.

Now, it’s down to SELA to get the fight over the line.

Why do they keep saying SELA as if we all know what that is?

Kilburn wrote: ↑12 Oct 2026, 03:27 Seems like another daft novelty fight that nobody asked for.

And what are the chances afterwards that Opetaia and Benavidez will perform better as heavyweights? Pissing around with one of the most appealing match ups in boxing right now.

If Opetaia and Benavidez gain 20 pounds and then fight each other, they're still Opetaia and Benavidez. Gaining weight doesn't fundamentally change who you are as a fighter or as a man. Now the likelihood of both of them being the consensus #1 and #2 at Heavyweight the way they are as Cruiserweights is slim, but I think being in the Heavyweight mix in some way shape or form is definitely in both of their futures.

In Opetaia's case it feels more needed than in Benavidez's case. Opetaia has been treading water for quite a while now and needs something to give his career, and name value a boost. Benavidez has up to now been the A side name between the 2 of them, but if Opetaia starts making waves at Heavyweight before Benavidez gets there that could change.

To me you have an obvious first 2 fights for Opetaia that would get him ranked, and boost his resume while still being fights that he should be favored in.

This one that's being proposed against Wilder, and then Joseph Parker when he returns. He and Opetaia both being from that part of the World that matchup should be easy to make, and a natural one to make.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑13 Oct 2026, 05:23

Kilburn wrote: ↑12 Oct 2026, 03:27 Seems like another daft novelty fight that nobody asked for.

And what are the chances afterwards that Opetaia and Benavidez will perform better as heavyweights? Pissing around with one of the most appealing match ups in boxing right now.

If Opetaia and Benavidez gain 20 pounds and then fight each other, they're still Opetaia and Benavidez. Gaining weight doesn't fundamentally change who you are as a fighter or as a man.

But for Benavidez that’s on top of 30lbs gained over the last 3 years.

Couldn’t they just get this fight made at cruiserweight first. Opetaia, after 6 solid title defences was seemingly on the verge of having his first truly big fight / test versus Benavidez, a fight that would surely split opinion and had the potential to rival some of the best cruiserweight battles from the past.

But now we’re hearing the name Deontay chuffin Wilder of all people.

Opetaia enters fight camp ahead of potential Wilder heavyweight blockbuster

Jai Opetaia has launched into a fight camp ahead of a potential heavyweight move to face Deontay Wilder on the biggest night in European boxing history.

The unbeaten Australian cruiserweight champion (31-0) is in talks with the former WBC heavyweight champion ahead of a potential clash on December's Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua card at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

AAP understands it is not a done deal, with Opetaia one of several options on the table for Wilder.

The bout is forecast to rake in more than $50 million in gate takings and shatter pay-per-view and streaming records to become the most lucrative ever staged on the continent and fourth-highest of all time.

Australian knock-out artist Opetaia is preparing as if he'll be there, entering fight camp this week at his Gold Coast base.

The Ring champion remains in a US court dispute with the IBF, who stripped him of their belt after he debuted and won Dana White's Zuffa Boxing rebel league's maiden world title strap.

He then beat WBC champion Noel Mikaelian in September in Las Vegas, Mikaelian also surrendering that belt for the chance to fight the Australian.

Opetaia and David Benavidez, who will fight Michal Cieslak in a three-belt unification match in September, then verbally agreed to a much-anticipated duel in May next year.

But the Australian is keen to stay busy and boost his profile against Wilder, who even at 40 poses a great risk with his height and punching power.

"I don't want Jai to fight Wilder," Benavidez told Last Stand Podcast.

"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."

Meanwhile, Opetaia's rising Tasman Fighters stablemate Max McIntyre has secured his next tussle, with the super middleweight to face Francis Waitai in New Zealand on December 4.

McIntyre (11-0) will put his IBF Pan Pacific and WBC Australasian titles on the line in the trans-Tasman clash against New Zealand's No.1 in the division.

With Usyk eying Benavidez, this fight becomes more likely. If Wilder somehow does win, I wonder if he would regret not having fought at cruiserweight for many years.

joshj909 wrote: ↑31 Oct 2026, 14:53 With Usyk eying Benavidez, this fight becomes more likely. If Wilder somehow does win, I wonder if he would regret not having fought at cruiserweight for many years.

I doubt it. The money is in the heavies and he has earnt well

I’m still hoping talk of this fight disappears, along with Benavidez v Usyk.

Report: Deontay Wilder and Jai Opetaia agree to fight on Fury-Joshua undercard

An agreement has reportedly been reached for Deontay Wilder to face Jai Opetaia on the undercard of Tyson Fury's long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua in Cardiff, Wales, on December 11.

The contest would mark Opetaia's heavyweight debut, with the former two-time cruiserweight titleholder set to test himself against one of the division's biggest names.

The Australian has struggled to secure fights against the leading contenders at 200lbs, while his move to Zuffa Boxing earlier this year brought an end to his reign as IBF champion amid the promotional outfit's stance on traditional sanctioning-body titles.

Opetaia now appears poised to make the jump to heavyweight against Wilder, although the former long-reigning WBC champion is some distance removed from his peak.

Wilder last fought in April, when he defeated fellow veteran Derek Chisora over 12 rounds. It was arguably his most significant victory since stopping Luis Ortiz in the seventh round of their 2019 rematch.

The American lost his WBC title to Fury in 2020 and has struggled to recapture his best form since. He was stopped by Fury again in their 2021 trilogy fight before suffering a points defeat to Joseph Parker in 2023 and a knockout loss to Zhilei Zhang the following year.

Veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported on Friday, October 30, that Wilder's and Opetaia's teams had reached an agreement for the fight to take place at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on December 11. Contracts have yet to be signed, however, with the bout reportedly being lined up for the undercard of Fury-Joshua.

Wilder had previously been linked with a fight against former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, but negotiations reportedly broke down over the Ukrainian's purse demands.

Usyk is now considering a return to cruiserweight to challenge unified champion David Benavidez in a contest that could put all four major titles at stake.

Opetaia had himself been hopeful of securing a showdown with Benavidez in 2027, but Usyk's potential move back down in weight has complicated those plans.