Deontay Wilder will face Jai Opetaia on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard on December 11.
Opetaia will move up to heavyweight to challenge former world heavyweight champion, Wilder at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
The Australian won the WBA cruiserweight world title in his last fight with a ninth round stoppage of Noel Mikaelian in September.
Meanwhile, Wilder secured a split decision victory over Derek Chisora in April.
Opetaia steps up to face Wilder
Opetaia previously held the IBF crown, but the IBF stripped him of his title shortly after he moved to Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.
Before the Opetaia fight came together, reports linked Wilder with a clash with Rico Verhoeven.
Verhoeven, who gave Oleksandr Usyk all he could handle before succumbing to an 11th round stoppage defeat, previously claimed he had agreed to face ‘The Bronze Bomber’ on the Fury vs Joshua card.
Fury vs Joshua undercard
Wilder vs Opetaia is the first fight confirmed for the Fury vs Joshua undercard.
Fury and Joshua will settle a decade-long rivalry when they finally meet next month.
Despite years of talk and negotiations, the pair are yet to share a ring.
Prior to Wilder vs Opetaia being confirmed, Wilder had called out Joshua for a long-awaited clash after his victory over Chisora.
Instead, Joshua opted to face Kristian Prenga. The two-time heavyweight world champion climbed off the canvas to stop the Albanian in two rounds in July.
As for Fury, the Morecambe man retired Mariusz Wach in seven rounds in Thailand a day before Joshua halted Prenga.
The 38-year-old shared three epic fights with Wilder, winning their last two battles by knockout.
