Tyson Fury has publicly called for Deontay Wilder's fight against Jai Opetaia to be removed from the undercard of his bout with Anthony Joshua, labelling the matchup "silly" and insisting his former rival should have retired from boxing.
The 'Gypsy King' is preparing for the biggest fight of his career when he faces fellow Briton Anthony Joshua at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on December 11. While the main event has long been anticipated, the undercard clash between the 'Bronze Bomber' and the undefeated cruiserweight champion has also drawn attention.
Fury, however, is among those who believe the fight is a mismatch, given Wilder's decline in recent years and the Australian's dominance. Fury and Wilder produced a heavyweight rivalry that began in 2018 when they fought to a spectacular draw. They met twice more, with Fury winning both bouts and ending their trilogy with an 11th-round knockout victory over the Olympic bronze medallist in 2021.
Fury's Warning to Wilder
Wilder last fought in April this year, securing a split-decision win over veteran Derek Chisora. The 41-year-old has lost two of his last four fights. Speaking about Wilder's bout against Opetaia, Fury said his knockout of the Alabama-born boxer should have been the last time he entered the ring.
Fury told FightHype: "It’s silly, really, on Deontay’s part. He shouldn’t be in the ring; he should be nowhere near a ring. It is a dying shame that this man has to continue to fight after he is shot to bits. He should have never fought again after I beat him the last time; that should have been the end of it, but needs must."
He added: "If you are getting knocked out by people that you probably should have knocked out yourself, then you should walk away. Him and Chisora looked shockingly terrible when they fought. Chisora is like 145 years old. And he was taking Wilder’s knockout-power shots – that are not there anymore – flush in the face, not even budging him."
Recent Fights for Fury and Joshua
Fury's last fight saw him stop Mariusz Wach in the seventh round in July. Joshua, meanwhile, came back from a shocking early knockdown to score a second-round knockout of Kristian Prenga the day after Fury's win.
