Wilder vs Opetaia agreed for Fury-Joshua undercard

Wilder’s team has reportedly agreed to face Opetaia, but the matchup raises questions about its sporting value.

According to some reports, Deontay Wilder’s team has agreed to the terms for a heavyweight bout against Jai Opetaia on the undercard of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. This makes the fights that night even more interesting, even though the match has yet to be made official.

Deontay Wilder’s manager is said to have been the one who officially announced that his team has agreed to the terms and that they’re just waiting for the green light from the governing bodies. He also revealed that there were active discussions with Murat Gassiev, but nothing came of them.

Unfortunately, though, the matchup is mainly interesting for the viewership and not necessarily on a sporting level. Deontay Wilder is, sadly, significantly slower than he used to be and no longer possesses the same qualities he once did. Jai Opetaia, on the other hand, brings speed and technique to the ring, and a victory would likely bring him little recognition since the outcome is already a foregone conclusion. So Jai Opetaia doesn’t really have a chance to make a name for himself that night, at least on a sporting level. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how Deontay Wilder performs, or if he’s really past his prime. What do you think?

Slowly but surely, this is shaping up to be a really interesting undercard. I don't really have an opinion on the matchup, though, because I can kind of understand both sides, even if it doesn't make much sense from a sports perspective. What do you guys think?