Heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley has called for Derek Chisora to retire regardless of the outcome against Deontay Wilder, expressing deep respect for the veteran boxer who has been a consistent supporter throughout his career. In his BBC Sport column, Wardley revealed that Chisora was one of the few fighters who backed him before his fights against Joseph Parker and Daniel Dubois, even FaceTiming congratulations after Wardley won his British title.

Wardley admitted surprise at the Chisora-Wilder matchup, noting both fighters had seemingly bigger opportunities ahead - Chisora with a potential world-title shot against him and Wilder being lined up for a fight with Oleksandr Usyk. The champion analyzed the intriguing dynamic of two fighters with 50 bouts each, questioning who still has what in the tank. While acknowledging Wilder's past achievements including world-title wins and epic battles with Tyson Fury, Wardley observed that the American has looked uncertain in recent performances and seemed to have stepped back from boxing after losses to Parker and Zhang.

Despite his respect for Chisora, Wardley believes the momentum favors the British fighter due to his durability and power against livelier opponents. He predicts that if Wilder wins, it would likely be via clean knockout, while a Chisora victory would come through overwhelming pressure. Wardley emphasized that boxing requires consistency and suggested that even a win here might not immediately return Wilder to elite status, particularly given Chisora's position at the back end of his career.