Tyson Fury has urged Deontay Wilder to cancel his upcoming fight with Jai Opetaia and retire from boxing immediately, saying his former rival is "shot to bits."
Wilder is scheduled to face Opetaia, who is moving up to heavyweight, on the undercard of the Fury vs Anthony Joshua card in front of more than 70,000 fans at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on December 11.
The American has not fought since his split decision win over Derek Chisora in April, a performance widely criticised. Many have called for the former heavyweight champion to step away, but the 41-year-old believes he still has something left to offer the sport.
A rivalry renewed in words
Fury and Wilder shared one of the fiercest rivalries in boxing history, meeting three times. Fury rose from the canvas to earn a draw in their first bout in 2018, stopped Wilder in the seventh round two years later, and then beat him again in their trilogy fight five years ago.
Since that 2021 meeting, Wilder has fought five times, including back-to-back defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. Fury did not hold back when giving his verdict on Wilder's return.
Speaking to Michelle Joy Phelps, Fury said: "It's silly, really. For Deontay's part. He should not be in the ring. It's a dying shame that this man has to continue to fight when he's shot to bits. He should never have fought again after I beat him the last time. That should have been the end of it. But, needs must…"
Fury questions Wilder's power
Fury also criticised the level of Wilder's recent performances, pointing to the Chisora fight as evidence that his punching power has faded.
"If you are getting knocked out by people you should have knocked out yourself… him and Chisora were 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," Fury added.
He went on: "It is a shame because if you want to match them five years ago, it would not have last one round. It is a hard thing to walk away from. We have seen so many of the greats come back for whatever reason over the years. Usually financial reasons. It's a sad state."
