Wilder Beats Chisora in a Chaotic Heavyweight Brawl, Then Blasts the Referee — Is Anthony Joshua Next?
It was ugly, it was sloppy, it was wildly entertaining — and when it was over, Deontay Wilder was pointing his finger not at his defeated opponent, but at the man in the middle. Wilder won a split decision over Derek Chisora in front of a packed O2 Arena in London on Saturday night, sending the British fan favorite into retirement. But the post-fight story was dominated by Wilder’s furious tirade against referee Mark Bates, and the growing conversation about whether a blockbuster showdown with Anthony Joshua is now inevitable.
The fight itself was exactly what you’d expect from two aging heavyweight brawlers who have a combined 100 professional fights between them. Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KOs) and Chisora (36-14, 23 KOs) hit the canvas three times in total — Chisora twice, Wilder once — in a chaotic 12 rounds that featured point deductions, constant mauling in the clinch, and enough wild swings to fill a highlight reel for a month. CBS Sports scored it even at 113-113, but two of the three judges saw it for Wilder, 115-111 and 115-113, with the third scoring it 115-112 for Chisora.
The highlight reel round was the eighth. Wilder had Chisora in trouble, unloading a series of right hands that sent the Londoner to one knee. But just as Wilder was setting up for a finishing shot, referee Bates stopped him mid-attack — Chisora had complained about a foul — and gave the British fighter a long recovery period. Seconds later, Bates docked Wilder a point for shoving Chisora in the clinch. Then both fighters wobbled in the same round. Then Chisora briefly went through the ropes in the 11th, which was ruled a knockdown. Then Wilder was floored by a looping right hand moments later. It was that kind of fight.
In his post-fight interview, Wilder revealed he deliberately eased up in round 12 when he saw the veins in Chisora’s temple bulging. “I didn’t want to hurt him too much longer,” he said. “Too many lives have been lost in this ring. And when it’s over, no matter what they say, nobody give a f— about us. Us fighters have to look out for each other.” It was a surprisingly human moment from a man best known for his in-ring violence.
But then came the referee complaints. Wilder told reporters that Bates had put his life in danger by allowing Chisora to throw “10 to 12 shots to the back of my head” without intervention. He claimed those shots were preventing him from sleeping and questioned whether Bates should ever referee another major fight. “Had it not been for the referee in this fight, I would have knocked him out in the third round,” Wilder said. The back-of-the-head argument is a common post-fight complaint, and Bates handled a notoriously difficult fight to referee. But Wilder’s frustration was genuine — and loud.
Now comes the more interesting question: what’s next? At 40 years old and 2-6 since 2020, Wilder is not the fighter he once was. His right hand is still lethal — he nearly ended Chisora in the eighth and reminded the crowd why he’s still a threat — but the technical deficiencies that have always been part of his game are more glaring than ever. The pawing jab, the defensive holes, the inability to sustain pressure for full rounds.
Still, the name carries massive box office weight. And the fight that keeps coming up in conversations is Anthony Joshua. Joshua, who is currently rehabbing from personal issues and reportedly training with Oleksandr Usyk, is looking for marquee fights to rebuild his own career after consecutive losses to the Ukrainian champion. Wilder vs. Joshua is a fight that never happened during their respective primes — blocked by promotional and sanctioning politics — and both men are now at a stage where the payday matters as much as the belt.
Anthony Joshua was ringside in London on Saturday watching the Wilder-Chisora card. Whether that was strategic or coincidental, it added fuel to the fire. A Joshua-Wilder fight between two fan-favorite heavyweights in their twilight years would sell — and the commercial appeal alone would push it over the finish line. Both men still have huge followings. Both men still have the punching power to end a fight in a single round. And both men are in a phase of their career where legacy fights matter more than mandatory defenses.
The complicating factor is Joshua’s own situation. He’s been linked to a potential fight with Tyson Fury, who takes on Arslanbek Makhmudov next Saturday, April 11, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. If Fury beats Makhmudov convincingly and stays active, a Fury-Joshua matchup could take precedence over Wilder. But if Fury struggles or another delay pushes that fight back further, Joshua vs. Wilder becomes a very realistic outcome for late 2026.
For Wilder, this win over Chisora was about one thing: proving his right hand is still a world-class weapon and that he can last 12 rounds. He did both, even if the method was messier than anyone wanted. Whether the referee deserved the criticism is debatable. Whether Wilder still belongs in big heavyweight fights is not. The answer, for now, is yes — but the window isn’t wide open.
