HEAVYWEIGHT SHOCK: DEONTAY WILDER SNUBS USYK TITLE FIGHT TO FACE "WAR" DEREK CHISORA IN LONDON
As Wilder snubs Usyk for a London showdown with Chisora, we analyse the 2026 heavyweight landscape and promotional power shifts.
Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora are getting closer to locking in a fight this spring.
If everything goes through, Kalle and Nisse Sauerland will take the reins as promoters, not Queensberry Promotions like everyone thought at first.
Chisora had been working with Frank Warren and his team to guide him through the back end of his career. But on Thursday, he told talkSPORT his contract with them is up.
“I’m not with Queensberry anymore,” Chisora said. “The contract I had with Queensberry expired two months after my fight with Otto Wallin.”
So now the Sauerland brothers are stepping in. They’re the guys who kicked off the World Boxing Super Series and have been busy lately with Misfits Boxing.
So, when’s the fight? BoxingScene says Wilder vs Chisora is set for April 4 in London.
Both camps sound pretty optimistic that they’ll wrap up the deal soon. They’re aiming to officially announce it the week of February 2.
Originally, they tried to make this fight for December, but the deal fell apart.
“The reason why we didn’t fight in December is I didn’t get a good contract, so I didn’t fight in December,” Chisora said. “Right now I’m just waiting on getting a good contract and a good number, and I’ll fight.”
Wilder, in the meantime, started talks with Oleksandr Usyk before circling back to Chisora.
People are already calling Chisora a tune-up fight for Wilder ahead of a possible clash with Usyk later in the year. But with Wilder’s recent struggles, it’s a bit of a gamble.
Chisora’s actually on a three-fight win streak, while Wilder has dropped four of his last six. And sure, Wilder bounced back by beating Tyrrell Herndon in June, but honestly, he didn’t look like the same guy.
Chisora isn’t lacking confidence. “I train to my ability, knowing that for the guy in front of me to win the fight, he has to knock me out, like proper lights out,” he said.
“So if he can’t do that in round ten or 12, I’m going to eat him up. That’s how I train… I like to fight, I like pain, I like everything.
“So if the fight does happen, let me explain something to you fellas: Deontay’s going to get laid out.”
FLASH NEWS: FABIO WARDLEY VS DUBOIS ODDS TIGHTEN AS NEGOTIATIONS REACH FINAL STAGES
Fabio Wardley is set to defend his new WBO heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois on May 9. Get the latest negotiation updates.
Every day, it looks more likely that Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois will face off in the ring.
Wardley just got bumped up to full WBO heavyweight world champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt, and now he’s hunting for his first title defence. Derek Chisora was in the mix, but he’s out—he’s lined up a fight with Deontay Wilder in April.
Last week, word got out that Wardley’s camp is talking with Dubois’ team about setting up a big all-British clash. Dubois, still hungry after losing his rematch to Usyk, has been pretty vocal—he wants this fight, no question.
DAZN says things are moving the right way. Negotiations are rolling, and everyone seems focused on sealing the deal for sometime around mid-year. The date organisers are eyeing right now is May 9, with London’s O2 Arena as the venue.
If it happens there, it’ll be Wardley’s second straight fight at the O2—he beat Joseph Parker in that same arena last October. Some had floated the idea of a bigger stadium, like Tottenham Hotspur’s, but the plan is clearly for a more intimate setting.
Wardley vs Dubois is exactly the kind of heavyweight clash that gets British boxing fans buzzing. Both guys can hit; both have something to prove. Dubois is desperate to get back in the title scene. He’s brought Don Charles back into his corner, hoping for a fresh push after that tough loss to Usyk last July. Still, at 28, he’s got plenty left in the tank.
Honestly, a fight between Wardley and Dubois almost feels like destiny now, with both guys at the top of the division. Frank Warren, who promotes both fighters, sounds excited about making it happen. “Wardley will fight in early May,” he told talkSPORT. “It’s probably odds on that he’ll fight here. I’m catching up with George [Warren], who’s been handling talks with both teams. I love that fight—if we can make it, it’ll be brilliant.”
TYSON FURY HITS 18ST 11LB TARGET WEIGHT FOR APRIL 11 COMEBACK
Tyson Fury hits his 263lb target weight for the April 11 Netflix comeback against Arslanbek Makhmudov after a 13-month hiatus.
Tyson Fury says he’s already hit his target weight, even with weeks to go before his big comeback against Arslanbek Makhmudov.
The ‘Gipsy King’ has been out in Thailand lately, kicking off his training camp and getting back in the groove. He walked away from boxing after dropping two straight fights to Oleksandr Usyk, but that retirement didn’t last long. Now he’s looking at a busy 2026, ready to jump right back in.
First up: Makhmudov on April 11. The fight might land in Manchester, but wherever it happens, Fury’s hyped. He’s been stoking the buzz, sharing peeks at his training, and letting fans watch his journey in real time.
So, when he stepped on the scales and saw the number, he didn’t hold back. “Already on weight nine weeks out,” he wrote. “I’m seriously going to smash Arslanbek Makhmudov.” The scale read 18 stone 11 pounds—263 pounds. That’s 18 pounds lighter than he weighed for his second fight with Usyk back in December 2024.
For that rematch, Fury came in at a career-high 281 pounds. He gave Usyk a real challenge, but the judges edged it to the Ukrainian. After those fights, people started raising eyebrows. Even in some training clips, fans and boxing folks worried about how heavy and sluggish he looked.
But now? You can tell he’s grinding. He’s pushing to get back in shape and take another shot at the heavyweight division.
The training setup looks different, too. Fury’s been working with Sugar Hill Steward during his losses to Usyk, but now, it sounds like his dad, John Fury, is stepping in to take charge.
John isn’t shy about it. He wants to make sure Tyson stops obsessing over the technical side and gets his body right. “I am going to be more involved this time,” he said. “And hear this, Tyson’s going to win the heavyweight championship for the third time, and you can bank your fucking money on that!
“He’s not in fantastic shape; that’s bull****. But he will be. Have another look at him, because when I go out in the next week, there will be no more of this internet bull****, every move on the internet. Head down, work, and get a body. Learn to move again. Learn to twist and be awkward. Herky-jerky.
“If it is fat, it matters. Anybody will tell you that. But listen, we know where we are going. I know where he went wrong. I know. And we are going to put it right.”