Deontay Wilder Nears April Fight With Derek Chisora

Deontay Wilder is moving closer to an April fight with Derek Chisora, according to multiple people involved in the discussions. Nothing has been signed, but talks have narrowed, and that matchup has become the clear direction.

Negotiations have been ongoing for weeks and have moved slowly, but Chisora remains the name Wilder’s team continues to return to. If completed, the bout would land at an important point for both fighters. It would be Chisora’s 50th professional fight. For Wilder, it would be his first bout against an established heavyweight since his loss to Zhilei Zhang.

“We are in negotiations, and it’s close,” Wilder co-manager Shelly Finkel said in comments to Sky Sports.

Beyond that, neither side has offered much publicly. Queensberry Promotions, which represents Chisora, declined to comment.

For a period, Wilder appeared to be looking at bigger options. Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk said he was open to defending his titles in the United States, and Wilder’s name surfaced during that stretch. Those talks stalled. Attention shifted back to Chisora, who never fully dropped out of view.

The situation picked up last month in Dubai, where Wilder and Chisora crossed paths at IBA Pro 13. Their face-to-face exchange was brief but tense. Nothing official followed, but it reinforced the sense that the fight was being positioned rather than improvised.

Wilder fought once in 2025, stopping Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in seven rounds. It was his first appearance since being knocked out by Zhang. The win steadied him, but it did not answer the questions about where he stands against experienced heavyweights.

Chisora, now 42, has stayed active. He has won four of his last five fights, including decisions over Joe Joyce and Kubrat Pulev. His most recent bout came last February, when he dropped Otto Wallin twice and took a clear decision.

Chisora has said openly that his next fight could be his last. Before Wilder moved into position, there was talk of a third bout with Dillian Whyte or a title fight against Fabio Wardley.

If this fight gets made, the loser could come out of it in rough shape. It depends on how it goes.