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Deontay Wilder: I need the fight with Derek Chisora ​​more than he does

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LONDON – Deontay Wilder said Wednesday he needs Derek Chisora ​​more than Chisora ​​needs him as he plots a return to heavyweight title contention.

Chisora ​​(36-13, 23 KO) will face Wilder (44-4, 43 KO) this will be the 49th professional fight of both fighters, which will take place on April 4 at London’s O2 Arena.

Chisora ​​insisted this would be his last fight regardless of the result, even if it pushed him into title contention, while Wilder still has aspirations to fight for a world title again.

Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk appointed Wilder last year, and sources told ESPN that talks with the Ukrainian’s team were progressing, but negotiations for the American to face Chisora ​​were at a more advanced stage.

December and February dates fell through before the April fight was confirmed last week.

While Wilder still has his sights set on fighting Usyk, he knows he needs a win to get there.

“I need this fight. I need Derek more than he needs me,” Wilder said at the press conference. “I need to see where I’m at. I’ve been broken and rebuilt. I can’t wait.”

“This is definitely a must-win win for me. Not just a win, I need a devastating win, a knockout. That’s what we’re seeing. We’ve got two attractive heavyweights there. You don’t know what to expect.”

“He throws everything in the kitchen sink. You can take the toaster and the blender and whatever. He hits you where you don’t want to be hit and he doesn’t care.

“I told Derek I want you to try to kill me. Because that’s what I need and that’s what he’s going to do. This is a special moment.”

Both Chisora ​​and Wilder have captivated audiences for years with their personalities outside the ring as well as their performances between the ropes, but it was a quieter news conference on Wednesday in which they talked about their friendship and urged them not to sell the fight with violence and nonsense.

However, because Chisora ​​wanted to rise to the top and Wilder was determined to climb the ladder again, the two agreed that their relationship would be put on hold on April 4.

“I don’t want anyone to be wrong here in terms of how our friendship has developed, because that’s how it’s been for some time. We’re not faking it,” Wilder said.

“We don’t need to have topics to discuss, to be mad at each other, we leave it behind. We don’t even need safety here.

“But on fight night it’ll turn off. You’ll see two enemies in the ring shouting at each other.”

Chisora, known for his antics at press conferences, insisted the meeting would be cordial.

“Can you imagine two grown men wrestling on the floor right now?” Chisora ​​said. “We want to sell this fight in a different way. All these people are coming to see you [Wilder].

“I don’t want to sell this fight with violence.”

Wilder was the WBC champion for five years, making 10 title defenses. However, he has lost four of his last six fights, making the clash with Chisora ​​a decisive one.

“[There is] so much love between me and this brother,” Wilder added. “I just want to fight him. He’s my boy.

“After this fight, I might stay with my family in Alabama for a week.”

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Canelo Alvarez discusses his retirement plan

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Canelo Alvarez addresses his retirement plan

Canelo Alvarez talked about how long he could stay in the sport before hanging up his gloves and opting for a decorated career.

The 35-year-old is already destined for a place in the Hall of Fame, as he became a four-division world champion, but he still wants to compete at the highest level.

Since his professional debut in 2005, the Mexican has made 68 appearances and has twice become the undisputed king of the 168-pound division, scoring notable victories over the likes of Callum Smith and Caleb Plant.

However, his most critical victory came in the middleweight division, where Alvarez made a very controversial decision by majority vote in a rematch with Gennady Golovkin in 2018.

More controversial was their first meeting a year earlier, when many felt Golovkin had done enough to claim a convincing victory and the Kazakhstan ended in a draw.

Still, Canelo received plenty of credit for his follow-up triumph before dethroning Sergei Kovalev to capture the WBO featherlight heavyweight title over a year later.

Alvarez’s second undisputed super middleweight reign came to an end last September when Terence Crawford moved up two weight classes and won a unanimous decision.

But Canelo explained anyway Froch About the fight that he can still compete for another two years, maybe even longer, depending on how often his opportunities come along.

“I don’t know. I think maybe two years. I don’t need it, [but] I still enjoy it. If I [fight] maybe once a year [I can go on] a little bit [longer].

“Once a year to rest my body, I think I can fight more [than two years]”

Although an official announcement has not yet been made, Canelo is scheduled to fight in Riyad, Saudi Arabia this September, and Turki Alalshikh has promised to fight for the world title.

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The Inoue-Nakatani title fight will take place on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome

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Boxing’s worst kept secret has now been confirmed – Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 KO) and Junto Nakatani (32-0, 24 KO) will meet on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome for Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight championship.

The all-Japan clash was formally announced at a press conference in Japan. The fight will be broadcast live on Lemino pay-per-view; US distribution rights have not yet been announced.

Inoue – ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer – is coming off an impressive 2025 in which he competed four times, defeating Kim Ye-Joon, Ramon Cardenas, Murodjon Akhmadaliev and David Picasso. Thanks to Inoue’s unanimous decision victory over Picasso in December, Nakatani defeated Sebastian Hernandez in the second fight of the night in a tougher-than-expected fight. Their victories set up a long-awaited clash between two of Japan’s best players.

Nakatani is ranked No. 6 pound-for-pound by ESPN and will look to become a four-division champion after winning world titles at bantamweight, junior bantamweight and flyweight. Although Nakatani narrowly won his junior featherweight debut in a grueling fight against Hernandez, Nakatani proved he was one of the best fighters in the world and had a powerful showing in 2025, winning 3-0.

The Undercard will feature Inoue’s younger brother Takuma defending his WBC bantamweight title against former four-division titleholder Kazuto Ioka.

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Dan Rafael says IBF president opposed Jai Opetaia Presser

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Image: Dan Rafael: IBF President Felt Disrespected By Belt Display At Opetaia Presser

Jai Opetai’s fight against Brandon Glanton is still moving forward, but veteran reporter Dan Rafael says the issue that caused the IBF title to be removed from the fight had to do with how the belt was presented during fight week. Rafael reported that IBF president Daryl Peoples believes that the organization’s title was shown as secondary to Zuffa’s belt during a recent press conference.

This explanation makes the argument about the presentation rather than the match itself. Rafael wrote that Peoples objected to the way the belts were arranged at the press, with Zuffa’s belt posed for the cameras while Opetaia held the IBF title rather than raising it in the usual manner towards the audience.


“The IBF withdrew sanctions and sent the overseer home after the journalist because IBF President Daryl Peoples felt disrespected by the belt being placed secondary to Zuffa’s,” Rafael wrote on social media.

Fight week photos reflect the arrangement Rafael described. At the final press conference on Friday, Zuffa’s belt was centered and Opetaia held the red IBF title at his side. Saturday’s weigh-in had a similar effect. Zuffa’s belt was raised over the fighters on the restart, while Opetaia continued to hold the IBF Championship on his chest. This sequence appears to have irritated the sanctioning authority.

Rafael also reported another unusual detail related to the fight. Even after the IBF dropped its sanctions, Opetai and Glanton were still expected to adhere to IBF weight rules ahead of the morning fight. Rafael said that no competitor can weigh more than ten pounds over the cruiserweight weight limit of 200.

Rafael later noticed that the IBF belt continued to appear in promotion for the event. Opetaia held the title at media events and discussed it publicly, and graphics broadcast by Zuffa covered the championship. Rafael’s account points to the dispute that raged over Zuffa’s title belt relationship during press events.

Opetaia entered fight week as the IBF cruiserweight champion after regaining the belt in a rematch victory over Mairis Briedis in 2024. The Australian continues to wear the physical belt while promoting his fight against Glanton. Once he steps into the ring and takes part in an unsanctioned fight, the IBF Championship will no longer move forward with him.

The fight remains scheduled, and reports from Rafael indicate that the split was due to belt politics and presentations at public events. The episode shows how rigorously sanctioning bodies guard the status of their championships as modern promoters introduce competitive titles.

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