Having not fought since his split decision defeat to Deontay Wilder, Derek Chisora has considered how his latest opponent might fare against Jai Opetaia.

The pair will square off at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11, with Opetaia making his heavyweight debut on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua.

Yet despite the natural size disparity, many are favouring the younger and fresher Australian, who is also a former two-time world champion, to emerge victorious next month.

Wilder is, after all, no longer at the peak of his powers and, at the age of 41, one can only imagine that he is on the verge of retirement.

This seemed to be the case following consecutive defeats against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, who respectively scored one-sided points and stoppage victories over the American in 2023 and 2024.

To his credit, though, Wilder has since returned with two wins of his own, the latest one being a split decision verdict over fellow veteran Chisora in April.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ also scored two knockdowns during their chaotic encounter, with Chisora telling DAZN that the former WBC heavyweight champion remains a formidable puncher.

“Deontay will knock that little f**king weasel [Opetaia] out.”

"𝗗𝗲𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗳****** 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘇𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻!"@DerekWarChisora tipping old foe Wilder to handle business in Cardiff 😤#FuryJoshua | #WilderOpetaia | #DAZNReporter pic.twitter.com/dMlgcRDKQ3

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 6, 2026

If he avoids getting knocked out by Wilder, it is highly likely that Opetaia will pursue a cruiserweight showdown with unified champion David Benavidez.

First, Benavidez must dethrone WBC champion Michal Cieslak on December 5 and then, if Opetaia beats Wilder, too, a clash between the pair could become realistic for Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2027.