An agreement has reportedly been reached for Deontay Wilder to face Jai Opetaia on the undercard of Tyson Fury's long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua in Cardiff, Wales, on December 11.

The contest would mark Opetaia's heavyweight debut, with the former two-time cruiserweight titleholder set to test himself against one of the division's biggest names.

The Australian has struggled to secure fights against the leading contenders at 200lbs, while his move to Zuffa Boxing earlier this year brought an end to his reign as IBF champion amid the promotional outfit's stance on traditional sanctioning-body titles.

Opetaia now appears poised to make the jump to heavyweight against Wilder, although the former long-reigning WBC champion is some distance removed from his peak.

Wilder last fought in April, when he defeated fellow veteran Derek Chisora over 12 rounds. It was arguably his most significant victory since stopping Luis Ortiz in the seventh round of their 2019 rematch.

The American lost his WBC title to Fury in 2020 and has struggled to recapture his best form since. He was stopped by Fury again in their 2021 trilogy fight before suffering a points defeat to Joseph Parker in 2023 and a knockout loss to Zhilei Zhang the following year.

Veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported on Friday, October 30, that Wilder's and Opetaia's teams had reached an agreement for the fight to take place at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on December 11. Contracts have yet to be signed, however, with the bout reportedly being lined up for the undercard of Fury-Joshua.

Wilder had previously been linked with a fight against former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, but negotiations reportedly broke down over the Ukrainian's purse demands.

Usyk is now considering a return to cruiserweight to challenge unified champion David Benavidez in a contest that could put all four major titles at stake.

Opetaia had himself been hopeful of securing a showdown with Benavidez in 2027, but Usyk's potential move back down in weight has complicated those plans.