Back on 8 October we asked the question.
Is Jai Opetaia really stepping up to face Deontay Wilder?
Well… Dana White just answered it.
The co-main of Fury vs Joshua is set. December 11. Principality Stadium, Cardiff. Live on Netflix worldwide.
Australia's unbeaten cruiserweight juggernaut — The Ring Magazine champion at 200 lb, 31-0 with 24 knockouts — is moving up to heavyweight for the first time.
Standing opposite him: the Bronze Bomber. Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KOs). Former WBC heavyweight champion. One of the hardest punchers the sport has ever seen.
Combined knockouts between them? Sixty-seven.
White himself called it "a very dangerous fight" for Opetaia. Then he added the line that tells you everything about the Gold Coast southpaw:
"He's a fighter; he'll fight anybody, even at heavyweight with a guy who hits as hard as Wilder does."
Wilder is 41. Last fight was a points win over Derek Chisora in London in April. He's lost four of his last seven.
Opetaia is ten years younger. Last time out, in Nevada in September, he stopped Noel Mikaelian in the ninth — then looked ringside and called out David Benavidez.
That's the fight he really wants. White says they've "got to figure that one out".
So Cardiff is the detour.
Walk into the fire with the Bronze Bomber. Then come home and chase the Mexican Monster.
That's the plan, anyway.
We'll leave you to draw your own conclusions !
🇦🇺 JAI OPETAIA (31-0, 24 KOs) v DEONTAY WILDER (45-4-1, 43 KOs) 🇺🇸
🥊 Heavyweight | 12 rounds (scheduled)
📅 11 December 2026
📍 Principality Stadium, Cardiff
📺 Netflix (global)
Stay tuned !
Bacolod's Genesis Servania will fight China's rising star Aketelieti Yelejian for the WBO Asia Lightweight title this November.
The highly-anticipated match up will take place on the undercard of the IBF world title fight between Pedro Taduran and Zhu DianXing at Jeju Island, South Korea.
Aketelieti Yelejian, who suffered a narrow loss to the Prince Albert Pagara in June, rebounded with an impressive IBF Asia victory against Korean Jin Su Kim in Vietnam recently. He is a very rangy and deceptive boxer known for his relaxed combinations, and he's supremely confident in his ability to take down Servania and claim the title.
"I've studied Servania's style, and I know I have the skills to outmaneuver him," Yelejian said yesterday.
"I'm excited to represent China on the international stage once more, and bring home an impressive win against a top and proven boxer like Genesis."
Servania, a seasoned veteran with a 35-4 record, boasts a reputation for toughness that has come from battles at the top level. And has still possesses some of the best body shots in the sport of boxing.
This important title shot gives the filipino the opportunity to re-establish himself on the world scene once more, and it's best remembered that his only defeats have came against world-ranked champions like Oscar Valdez and Andres Cortes.
But the China team have already confidently stated that Yelejian's youth, speed, height, and reach may all prove too much for the Filipino boxer.
Their optimism also exudes for the world title bout, where surprisingly, they are quite dismissive of Pedro Taduran's hopes of beating star Zhu DianXing. They actually rate their boxer so highly, they have predicted that the champion has no chance of retaining the belt.
These claims set up an intriguing backdrop for two massive Philippines v China feature bouts.
Fight Details :
- Date: Saturday, November 23rd
- Location: Jeju Island, South Korea
- Title: WBO Asia Lightweight
- Contenders: Aketelieti Yelejian (China) vs. Genesis Servania (Philippines)
