Deontay Wilder is set to return to the ring on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard, and the 'Gypsy King' fears his longtime rival is making a huge mistake

Tyson Fury fears Deontay Wilder is 'shot to bits' and should immediately cancel his fight with Jai Opetaia and never compete again.

The 'Bronze Bomber' is set to take on Opetaia - who will be moving up to heavyweight - on the Fury vs Anthony Joshua card in front of over 70,000 fans at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on December 11.

Wilder has not fought since his uninspiring split decision win over Derek Chisora back in April. Many have long called for the former heavyweight champion to retire, but the 41-year-old still feels he's got a little bit left to give the sport.

Fury and Wilder engaged in one of the fiercest rivalries in the history of the sport - which resulted in three astonishing. The 'Gypsy King' rose from the canvas to score a sensational draw in their first meeting back in 2018. Two years later, they met again - with Fury going on to stop the heavyweight veteran in the seventh round. The Morecambe brawler settled their feud once and for all after battering Wilder for a second time in their third fight five years ago.

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Since the trilogy brawl back in 2021, Wilder has been a shadow of his former self. The 41-year-old has fought five times since - including back-to-back defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. And Fury recently did not stutter when offering his verdict on the American's return.

Speaking to Michelle Joy Phelps, he 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 added: “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.

"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."