Derek Chisora hinted at retirement after his 50th professional fight in April, a razor-close split decision against Deontay Wilder at The O2. On Tuesday, the IBA announced at a press conference in Istanbul that it will stage a December show in England specifically for him.
Chisora is 42. His record is 36-14 with 23 knockouts. The likely opponent is WBA heavyweight champion Murat Gassiev.
“In December we’ll be fighting,” Chisora said.
What the IBA actually committed to
IBA President Umar Kremlev framed it as a favor returned. “Derek said he wanted to come and support the IBA, because he’s happy with the way IBA is organising tournaments,” Kremlev said. “So we are going to organise a bout for Derek in England.”
Chisora was equally effusive: “What people have to understand is that what IBA does is unbelievable.”
Opponent, venue, date and broadcaster are all listed as to be confirmed. The IBA Congress falls on December 5 and 6. Gassiev is described only as publicly open to the fight, so the matchup itself is not done.
Gassiev is a real champion, not a tune-up
He is 32, turning 33 on October 12, with a 34-2 record and one no contest and 27 knockouts. He was elevated to full WBA heavyweight champion in June after Oleksandr Usyk vacated. He is a former IBF cruiserweight champion and a World Boxing Super Series finalist.
His recent work: a knockout of Kubrat Pulev in Dubai in December 2025 for the WBA honors, then a sixth-round stoppage of Peter Kadiru on IBA PRO 19 at VTB Arena in Moscow on July 11.
Gassiev has also publicly called Chisora a friend, which is the sort of thing that makes a fight easier to make and harder to take seriously.
Chisora has earned the right and that is the problem
He was British, Commonwealth and European champion. He challenged Vitali Klitschko for the WBC title. He fought Tyson Fury three times. He went the distance with Usyk, which almost nobody has done comfortably.
He has also been knocked out, outboxed and taken into deep water repeatedly over 50 fights. A 42-year-old heavyweight with 14 losses walking into a WBA title fight against a 27-knockout champion is not a competitive proposition. It is a payday and a farewell tour with a belt in the frame.
He will do it anyway, and he should get to
Chisora has been one of the most honest fighters of his generation about why he keeps going. He takes the hard fights, he takes them on short notice, and he has never pretended it was about legacy.
If the IBA is building a December card in England around him against a champion who considers him a friend, that is a better outcome than most 42-year-olds with 50 fights get. It is also a fight where the most likely result is Gassiev by stoppage.
Chisora knows that better than anyone writing about it. He said he is fighting in December. Nobody should be surprised.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.