“We are engaged in negotiations and it is close,” said Shelly Finkel, co-manager of Wilder Sky Sports.
That is as far as anyone involved is willing to go publicly. Queensberry Promotions, which promotes Chisora, declined to comment.
For a while, it looked like Wilder was lining up something bigger. Unified champion Oleksandr Usyk has said he is open to defending his titles in the United States, and Wilder’s name has been part of that discussion. That route stuck. Chisora ​​remained in sight.
The pair did little to cool things down at the IBA Pro 13 event in Dubai last month, where they went head-to-head in a tense exchange that seemed deliberate, even if nothing official followed.
Wilder fought once last year. He stopped Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in seven rounds, his first appearance since being knocked out by Zhilei Zhang. The win steadied things, but it left open the larger question of where Wilder actually stands now.
Chisora, now 42, has remained active. He has won four of his last five fights, including wins over Joe Joyce and Kubrat Pulev. His most recent fight came last February, when he dropped Otto Wallin twice and took a clear decision.
Chisora ​​has openly suggested his next fight could be his last. Before Wilder moved into position, there was talk of a third fight with Dillian Whyte or a title shot against Fabio Wardley.
If this deal goes through, it’s not a soft landing for either. Someone leaves with real damage, and the result will say more about where they are than anything else said in the past year.
