Heavyweight survivors Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder will each clock up the 50th fight of their storied professional careers when they lace gloves at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday night.
As Tyson Fury prepares for his latest return from retirement next weekend and Anthony Joshua eyes a final assault at the top of boxing’s glamour division under the watchful eye of former rival and current unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, there is a sense of a curtain coming down on a fine era for the sport’s big men.
Chisora (36-13, 23 KOs) has never ascended to world title level, coming up short as an away-from-home underdog against Vitali Klitschko in 2012 and then again in a futile third meeting with Fury more than a decade later.
Since that one-sided reverse against the ‘Gypsy King’, Chisora has embarked upon a solid three-fight winning run against Gerald Washington, Joe Joyce and Otto Wallin. It means that he enters a frequently touted showdown with Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) —a matchup that once upon a time was viewed as a serious danger to Chisora’s welfare — as the betting favourite.
This owes much to the contrasting fortunes experienced by Wilder since his own, far more essential, trilogy with Fury concluded. Following his second defeat to the Briton in Las Vegas in 2021, the ‘Bronze Bomber’ has been beaten by Joseph Parker and helaciously stopped by Zhilei Zhang.
Both of those reverses came on Riyadh Season cards, where Wilder was in action to get wins and book bigger fights. Most notably, his long-awaited showdown with Joshua was effectively a done deal. ‘AJ’ demolished Wallin on the same December 2023 night Wilder failed to keep up his side of the bargain against Parker.
If Wilder can relocate his old menace and stop the ever freight training Chisora, then talk of Joshua or Usyk will return. For his part, the 42-year-old Chisora insists he will be 50 and done irrespective of the weekend outcome. However, as the No. 2 ranked contender with the IBF and No. 7 with the WBO, if he beats Wilder in style, would he really be able to leave this equally intoxicating and squalid old game alone?
MORE: Moses Itauma tells brutal truth about heavyweight boxing as Chisora and Wilder prepare for curtain call
Derek Chisora vs. Deontay Wilder fight card
- Derek Chisora vs. Deontay Wilder; Heavyweights
- Viddal Riley (c) vs. Mateusz Masternak for the European Cruiserweight title
- Denzel Bentley vs. Endry Saavedra for the interim WBO middleweight title
- Ashton Sylve vs. Raul Antonio Galaviz Hernandez; Super Lightweights
- Matty Harris vs. Franklin Ignatius; Heavyweights
- Amir Anderson vs. Jordan Dujon; Middleweights
- Jermaine Dhliwayo vs. Jake Morgan; Super Featherweights
- Dan Toward vs. Misael Da Veiga; Super Welterweights
- Tom Welland vs. Yahir Alexander Solorio Morales; Featherweights
Where to watch Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora
- Live Stream: DAZN
- PPV Price: £24.99, $49.99
Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora will be available on DAZN worldwide. The PPV price is £24.99 in the UK and $44.99 in the US
A DAZN monthly subscription in the UK costs £9.99 on a 12-month contract or £19.99 month-to-month. An annual subscription will cost £99.99. In the US, monthly subscription is $19.99 on a 12-month contract or $29.99 month-to-month. The annual subscription is $224.99.
Fans can also take out a DAZN Ultimate subscription, which is £24.99 monthly in the UK and $44.99 monthly in the US and includes 12 PPV events every year at no extra cost.
Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora start time
- Date: Saturday, April 4
- Start time: 7 p.m. BST/ 2 p.m ET
- Main event start time (approx.): 10:45 p.m. BST/ 5:45 p.m. ET
- Location: O2 Arena – London
Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora is on April 4. The main card starts at 7 p.m. local time and the main event should begin around 10:45 p.m, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
Read the full article here
