Derek Chisora close to securing world title shot for fight number 50

Talk of Derek Chisora’s farewell fight has been ongoing for an extended period of time, but it now seems as though Chisora’s patience will be worth the wait and that he will compete for world honours in his final professional outing.

Chisora came up short when challenging for the heavyweight crown against both Vitali Klitschko and Tyson Fury in 2012 and 2022, with many encouraging the fan-favourite veteran to hang up the gloves following a gruelling defeat to ‘The Gypsy King’.

However, the Londoner refused to walk away from the sport and has instead proved his doubters wrong by stringing together a run of three consecutive victories against Gerald Washington, Joe Joyce and Otto Wallin.

As a result, ‘Del Boy’ finds himself ranked as the world #2 and #6 with the IBF and WBO respectively and he was been linked to a host of high-profile names ahead of a supposed December dust-up, until the event collapsed at the final hurdle.

Now, in an interview with talkSPORT, newly crowned WBO heavyweight world champion Fabio Wardley has picked out Chisora’s name as the most likely opponent for his first defence of the belt.

“Chisora, out of the list of names, seems probably most realistic and currently at the forefront.

“But Del Boy will always be Del Boy, and he’s always going to have his own plans and grand designs about how he wants his 50thfight to look, and I understand it might not marry up.”

Wardley also laid out his plans to make his U.S. debut during 2026, although that would assumably be a separate encounter to a potential all-British heavyweight world title scrap between he and 42-year-old Chisora.