Deontay Wilder is beginning to put a plan in place for his return to top-level heavyweight boxing.
Defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang left many feeling that retirement was looming for Wilder, 40, however he returned this year with a simple win over Tyrell Herndon with the promise of big fights in 2026.
These plans were recently boosted when unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk revealed that Wilder is on his hit list, and the teams have already engaged in talks to make it happen.
Shortly after that development, Wilder faced off publibly with British fan favourite Derek Chisora. Speaking on the incident with Cigar Talk, he revealed that he is now targeting that fight before challenging Usyk.
“That’s real. That could be a real fight. You know what? I was like, ‘let him be the warm-up to the Usyk fight.’ I love that.”
Wilder — who said that a bout with Chisora was previously 90% agreed before talks ended — spoke highly of the match-up.
“If you know Derek, you know he’s not a pushover. You’re not gonna bully him. The mentality he has, he has an alpha male mentality. And when you go up against another alpha male, it’s a problem. It’s like two gorillas.
“When he came up, he basically sized me up. He put his forehead against mine and started pushing, and I’m like, ‘hold on, bro, what you think this is?’ I had to show him as well. It started getting a little bit out of control, the security [stepped in]. That’s a good start for whatever may happen. I called my manager, he called his manager. They got on the phone.”
Chisora is 49 fights into his professional campaign, and is looking for the perfect dance partner for number 50. A trilogy with Dillian Whyte fell through but may be revisited. ‘Del Boy’ may also target a top IBF contender given his favourable position in the rankings. Wilder does not provide that, but he does bring star power and, in the eyes of many, a favourable match-up.
