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Deontay Wilder called out Anthony Joshua for a long-awaited matchup between the former heavyweight champions, after Wilder edged Derek Chisora to clinch a split-decision victory in London on Saturday.
Wilder came face to face with Joshua as he walked past the Briton after the fight. The two fist-bumped, and the American said: “Let’s do it. It wasn’t a few words, I dapped it up with him and I said, now let’s get it on. I’m ready for whoever, [as] long as these guys are in the heavyweight division, I am here. You can call me Mr Clean, because I want to clean up the whole division. The division is nothing without Deontay Wilder.”
Wilder was the WBC champion when Joshua held the WBA, IBF and WBO belts, but a unified heavyweight championship bout between them never materialised, as Wilder went on to lose to Tyson Fury and Joshua lost his belts to Oleksandr Usyk. Undefeated Usyk went on to become the unified champion when he beat Fury in May 2024.
Joshua was last in action in December, when he knocked out Jake Paul. A few days later, he was left in hospital after a car accident in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends. Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, who was with him during the exchange with Wilder, said the fight would not be a problem for the Briton.
“He said, let’s do it. AJ sort of stared at him ice cold, but he would fight him no problem,” Hearn told Fight Hub TV.
A tired Chisora acknowledged it was time to walk away after the defeat to Wilder. In the 50th and final contest of the British heavyweight’s wild career, Chisora (36-14, 23KOs) reserved one of his best displays for his last dance after he climbed off the canvas in round eight to take former WBC champion Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KOs) the distance.
Even though Chisora was disappointed with the judges’ scores after they favoured Wilder by a split decision of 115-111, 112-115 and 115-113, the 42-year-old soaked up every moment in London and, despite some half-hearted jokes with wife Emily about fighting one more time, he admitted it is time to hang up the gloves.
“Listen, it was a great fight, I’ve got to go home and talk to the boss and it is what it is,” Chisora reflected alongside son Zion. “You know what, I’ll be honest with you, I’m tired now. I can’t do it any more. You know when you know it’s time, it is time. I’ve had a great career. It has been amazing.”
Chisora turned professional in 2007 and after a career which has seen him spit water in the face of Wladimir Klitschko in the first of two failed world title belts, scrap with rival turned promoter David Haye after a bout in Germany and flip a table, the Finchley boxer hinted he will stay in the sport.
“I say it’s not over, I didn’t say I was going to fight again but I might do something else in boxing,” Chisora said. “What? I don’t know. The God’s honest truth, I don’t know.”
