2026-01-23 11:12:18

Derek Chisora has claimed Oleksandr Usyk has dropped a fight with Deontay Wilder in favour of facing Andy Ruiz Jr.

Del Boy’s, 42, suggestion comes as he and The Bronze Bomber, 40, finalise plans for their own fight in London in April – effectively ending talks between the former WBC champion and The Cat, 39.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Chisora said: “Right now, I’m hearing Usyk is fighting the Mexican kid Andy Ruiz in Vegas.”

Del Boy confirmed he is close to sealing a deal to face Wilder on April 4, with London expected to host the bout.

Chisora explained that negotiations between Wilder and Usyk had been ongoing before The Bronze Bomber pivoted towards him, leaving the Ukrainian champion without an opponent.

Wilder has seemingly since accepted that a fight with Usyk is no longer on the table.

The Bronze Bomber – who is rebuilding after defeats to Zhilei Zhang, 42, and Joseph Parker, 34 – has indicated that discussions about challenging Usyk have become irrelevant, with his focus now on getting back into contention through the Chisora bout.

Meanwhile, Usyk remains unbeaten at 24-0 (15 KOs) and has not fought since stopping Daniel Dubois, 28, in their rematch last July to become a three-time, two-division undisputed champion.

He has been loosely linked with several contenders, including Agit Kabayel, 33, but Chisora insists Ruiz Jr. is now the preferred option.

Ruiz Jr., 36, has not boxed since August 2024, when he was held to a controversial draw with Jarrell Miller, 37, in Los Angeles.

That contest left him with a fractured hand which required surgery, delaying his return.

After a lengthy rehabilitation, The Destroyer has been back in the gym for several months and has reunited with Manny Robles, the trainer who guided him to his shock win over Anthony Joshua, 36, in 2019.

Speaking last year, Ruiz Jr. made clear he would welcome a fight with Usyk.

He said in November 2025: “Usyk is the one with the belts. Usyk is the one with the name.

“So I think that’s a good fight that I’d be interested in as well.

“Maybe like a few weeks ago, I was messaging Usyk. I guess he sent me a message or something.

“I was like, ‘Hey, much love, brother. I would love to get in the ring with you. It would be a pleasure.’

“And then he was like, ’In God’s timing, we will do it. We will run it up.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, snap.’”

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