Derek Chisora’s fight with Deontay Wilder has been thrown into late doubt following a dispute between the the two camps.
The pair are set to meet at the O2 Arena, London, for a huge heavyweight clash, but at the eleventh hour, a disagreement – believed to be surrounding the gloves for the fight – has emerged.
While the build-up to this fight has seen amicable interactions between the pair, this late issue threatens to put tomorrow’s bout in jeopardy.
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Promoter Kalle Sauerland told iFL TV: “There were some dramatics this morning at the weigh-in over the gloves.
“It was a big flash point. I’m confident we get it sorted, but there’s a big issue at the moment.”
The promoter did assure that efforts are being made to deal with the situation, but it is currently unclear from which side of the proceedings the grievance has come from.
Since losing his trilogy meeting with Tyson Fury five years ago, Wilder’s career has spiralled with just two wins in his last four fights, and concerns for his wellbeing outside of the ring.
Ahead of Saturday’s fight against Chisora, Wilder’s clash with talkSPORT presenter Simon Jordan, during which he accused him of ‘white privilege’, was a sign of the American’s fragile state, with some questioning whether his time in boxing is done.
Adding fuel to the fire, Chisora arrived at Friday’s face-off donning a Fury face mask, taunting Wilder.
“I know he’s got PTSD,” Chisora said.
However, former trainer Malik Scott, who worked with the former WBC heavyweight champion between 2021 and 2025, believes a long period of recovery has Wilder returning to the peak of his powers.
Looking on from the York Hall balcony after Thursday’s press conference, Scott explained to talkSPORT why Wilder is enjoying boxing again after dealing with mental and injury issues.
“He’s a healed Wilder now. He’s mentally and spiritually, but he has also healed physically,” Scott said.
“He was dealing with a lot of injuries that he never talked about, even at times when he was fighting and winning, he was dealing with injuries.
“He took some time, got all those injuries handled, took some time, got his mental and spirituality handled, now this is a very violent and happy Wilder at the same time.”
This article originally appeared on DAZN and was reproduced with permissions