LONDON — Deontay Wilder said Wednesday that he needs Derek Chisora more than Chisora needs him as he plots his way back into contention for a heavyweight title.
Chisora (36-13, 23 KOs) will take on Wilder (44-4, 43 KOs) in what will be both fighters’ 49th professional bout at London’s O2 Arena on April 4.
Chisora has insisted it will be his last bout regardless of the result, even if it pushes him into title contention, while Wilder still has aspirations of fighting for a world title again.
Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk had called out Wilder last year, and sources have told ESPN that talks with the Ukrainian’s team were advancing, but negotiations for the American to face Chisora were at a more advance stage.
Dates in December and February fell through, before the April bout was confirmed last week.
While Wilder still has his sights set on fighting Usyk, he knows he needs a win to get there.
“I need this fight. I need Derek more than he needs me,” Wilder told a news conference. “I need to see where I am. I been broken down and rebuilt again. I can’t wait.
“This is definitely a must-win for me. Not only a win, I need a devastating win, a knockout. That’s what we come to see. We got two beautiful heavyweights up there. You don’t know what to expect.
“He throws everything in the kitchen sink. You can have the toaster, the blender, everything else. He hits you in places you don’t want to be hit and he don’t care.
“I told Derek I want you to try and kill me. Because I need that and that’s what he’s going to do. It’s a special moment.”
Both Chisora and Wilder have captivated audiences for years with their personas outside the ring as much as with their performances between the ropes, but it was a more tepid news conference that expected on Wednesday as they talked up their friendship and insisted they wouldn’t sell the fight with violence and trash-talk.
However, with Chisora wanting to go out on a high and Wilder determined to climb the ladder again, they both agreed their relationship will be put on hold come April 4.
“I don’t want no one to get this mistaken here, with our friendship as they see it unfold, because this is how it’s been for a while. We don’t fake it,” Wilder said.
“We don’t need to have things to bring up, getting mad over each other, we leave that behind. We don’t even need security here.
“But the night of the fight, that will switch off. You will see two enemies in the ring that will try and whoop each other.”
Chisora, who is known for his news conference antics, insisted the buildup will be cordial.
“Can you imagine two grown men wrestling right now on the floor?” Chisora said. “We want to sell this fight in a different way. All these people come out to see you [Wilder].
“I don’t want to sell this fight with violence.”
Wilder held the WBC title for five years with 10 defences of the belt. However, he has lost four of his last six fights, making the clash with Chisora a crucial one.
“[There is] so much love between me and this brother,” Chisora added. “I just want to fight him. He’s my boy.
“After this fight, I might go stay in Alabama for a week with my family.”