Darshan Desai Uncrowned Tue, October 6, 2026 at 6:14 PM UTC · 1 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Derek Chisora's last dance wasn't his final fight after all.
Chisora was previously announced to be retiring after his 50th fight with Deontay Wilder this past April in London . Chisora and IBA president Umar Kremlev, however, announced Tuesday that the Brit will return to the ring under the IBA banner in December in the UK.
Although an exact date, venue and opponent were not immediately confirmed, Chisora said at the press conference in Istanbul that he hopes to have WBA champion Murat Gassiev in the opposite corner in London or Manchester.
Gassiev fights under the IBA banner. He captured the WBA (World) title with a come-from-behind sixth-round knockout of Kubrat Pulev this past December and defended it against Peter Kadiru in July .
After Oleksandr Usyk relinquished his belts, Gassiev was left as the division's lone titlist and therefore the full champion — although that position is now left in doubt, with the expectation that the WBA will add its "Super" title to the Dec. 11 bout between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, leaving Gassiev as secondary champion again.
"Derek said he wanted to come and support the IBA, because he's happy with the way IBA is organizing tournaments," Kremlev said at the press conference. "And we promised him a bout. So we are going to organize a bout for Derek in England. Our doors are always open to anyone, and we are ready to organize top-level bouts in any country."
"What people have to understand is that what IBA does is unbelievable," Chisora said. "I believe this goes deeper than what we're doing here right now. I believe it's going to get better and better. In December we'll be fighting."
Source: Sports
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