Deontay Wilder and Jai Opetaia will meet on the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua card next month, and former WBA super-middleweight world champion George Groves has offered his prediction for the match-up.
Since scoring a much-needed win over Derek Chisora back in April, Wilder has been linked as the opponent for Oleksandr Usyk’s ‘farewell fight’, but in recent weeks it appeared as though talks for a showdown between the Ukrainian superstar and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ had collapsed.
Meanwhile, Opetaia has been eyeing up a shot at the undisputed cruiserweight crown, mentioned for a clash with unified world champion David Benavidez, but awaiting the verdict of a lawsuit against the IBF which could see him reinstated as their 200lb champion.
Despite that ongoing case, Opetaia is now set to move into the heavyweight scene for a surprise scrap against Wilder, hoping that his punch power translates into boxing’s glamour division in the co-main event of the Fury-Joshua bill.
Speaking to Pro Boxing Fans, Groves predicted a stoppage win for the Austrialian, believing that the best may be yet to come from the undefeated two-time cruiserweight ruler.
“I think that Opetaia wins. I think that he does stop Wilder and we have a good relationship with both camps, both guys. We have spent some quality time with Opetaia and his team and we do think that he is a supreme talent.
“I think that he is a tremendous fighter and I think that maybe his best is still to come for him. For Wilder, you can’t say the same, you can’t say that the best is to come with Wilder. I think that it is a dangerous fight for him.”
It remains to be seen whether Opetaia will return to cruiserweight in 2027 or make his heavyweight switch a permanent one, but he would be wise to not look beyond the man in front of him, with Wilder still possessing devastating one-punch knockout power at the age of 41 years old.
