Following the announcement of the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard, promoter Eddie Hearn has suggested that two fights may not, in fact, take place.
One of them, he claims, is the heavyweight bout between Deontay Wilder and Jai Opetaia, who are set to collide at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11.
Having become a two-time world champion at 200lbs, Opetaia is looking to make a brief excursion to heavyweight before targeting a showdown with David Benavidez in 2027.
Wilder, meanwhile, is widely considered to be on the brink of retirement, but remains a dangerous puncher, following his split decision victory over Derek Chisora in April.
Back then, he scored two knockdowns in a largely chaotic affair but, at the age of 41, it is fair to say that the former WBC champion is not what he once was.
But while it is nonetheless an intriguing matchup with Opetaia, Matchroom boss Hearn has told IFL TV that the chief support to Fury-Joshua might be in jeopardy.
“I might be wrong, but this is what I’ve been told – that there could be a problem with that fight.”
Not only that, but Hearn has suggested the undercard bout between Martin Bakole and Solomon Adebayo could also be scrapped.
“[Adebayo] got knocked out in a round on some IBA [show in July 2025]; Martin Bakole hasn’t boxed for [around 17 months]. I don’t even know if that fight will be [approved by the British Boxing Board of Control].”
While, as Hearn says, there could be some licensing-related issues, it has also been reported that promoter Ben Shalom, who claims that Bakole remains under contract with Boxxer, is exploring legal action.
