TV Picks for April 3-5: Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora throw down in London

Pick it: Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora

When to watch: Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m. ET (7 p.m. BST). 

How to watch: DAZN Pay-Per-View

Why to watch: Two faded heavyweight power punchers are going to throw down – and hopefully not take too much additional lasting damage in the process.

Deontay Wilder, 44-4-1 (43 KOs), is a former WBC heavyweight titleholder who was one of the three main faces of the heavyweight division – alongside Anthony Joshua and in-ring rival Tyson Fury – before Oleksandr Usyk took over.

Wilder’s remarkable story began with him lacing up the gloves at 20 years old as a way to try to earn money, especially as his newborn daughter had been born with spina bifida. A short amateur career culminated in the 6ft 7ins Wilder taking a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics. He then entered the pros and continued to learn on the job, relying on his speed and significant power.

At the start of 2015, Wilder won the WBC belt with what remains his lone victory on the scorecards, a unanimous decision over defending titleholder Bermane Stiverne. Over the next five years, Wilder went 9-0-1 in his successful defenses, knocking out Eric Molina, Johann Duhaupas, Artur Szpilka, Chris Arreola, Gerald Washington, Stiverne in a rematch, Luis Ortiz in a firefight, Dominic Breazeale and Ortiz again in their rematch.

After the first Ortiz bout, Wilder fought to a draw with Fury in December 2018 – and was half a second away from a sensational 12th-round knockout. Wilder dropped Fury hard. Fury appeared to be unconscious on his back, only to wake and rise and just barely beat the count, then stand his ground for the remainder of the round.

Wilder’s reign ended in his rematch with Fury in February 2020. Fury chose to be the aggressor rather than play the role of boxer, a decision that led him to drop Wilder twice before stopping him in the seventh.

In the six years since, Wilder is just 2-3.

Wilder fought valiantly in a war with Fury in their third fight in October 2021, trading knockdowns and heavy blows before succumbing in the 11th round. Wilder took a year off to recover, returning with a one-round win over Robert Helenius in October 2022. He didn’t fight again for another 14 months, was outboxed in a decision loss to Joseph Parker in December 2023 and then suffered a highlight-reel KO at the hands of Zhilei Zhang in June 2024.

Another lengthy layoff followed. After nearly 13 months away, Wilder came back last June and defeated the 24-5 Tyrrell Anthony Herndon via seventh-round TKO. Those who watched his performance were left to wonder whether Wilder was shaking off rust against Herndon or if the passage of time and the accumulation of punishment have taken their toll on the 40-year-old hero of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Derek Chisora is about to test which of those suppositions is the truth.

Chisora, 36-13 (23 KOs), is a longtime heavyweight fringe contender who has twice challenged for world titles. Chisora, a 42-year-old Londoner, has been on a retirement tour of sorts. He acknowledges that his career is coming to an end, though he continues to land good paydays – including this headliner at The O2 Arena in London – a reflection of what he has done over the course of his career and the entertainment value he can still provide. 

Chisora turned pro in 2007 and won his first 14 bouts before losing a decision to a young Tyson Fury in 2011. After a quick rebound against a no-hope opponent, Chisora then lost three more fights in a row. He was edged by Robert Helenius via split decision in December 2011, widely outpointed by then-WBC titleholder Vitali Klitschko in February 2012 and taken out by David Haye in five rounds in July of that same year.

That would have spelled the end of many fighters’ time in the spotlight. But time and again, Chisora has shown an ability to remain relevant.

He notched five straight wins, including giving Malik Scott his first pro loss with a sixth-round TKO in 2013. By the end of 2014, Chisora was in with Fury again. This time, Chisora’s corner stopped the bout after 10 rounds. Chisora then put together another five-fight winning streak before losing a split decision to Kubrat Pulev in 2016. At the end of the year, Chisora lost a razor-thin split decision to Dillian Whyte. And in November 2017, Chisora lost a very close majority decision to Agit Kabayel.

After two victories, Chisora got a rematch with Whyte. He was narrowly ahead going into the 11th round, when Whyte knocked him out. Three more wins for Chisora were followed by three more losses: once to Oleksandr Usyk (UD12, 2020) and twice to Joseph Parker (SD12 and UD12, both in 2021).

In 2022, however, Chisora won his rematch with Pulev by split decision and then wrapped up an unnecessary trilogy with Fury, this time with the lineal championship and WBC heavyweight title on the line. Fury took Chisora out in the 10th round. But Chisora is again on a winning streak. He has fought once per year, outpointing Gerald Washington in August 2023, Joe Joyce in July 2024 and Otto Wallin in February 2025. Chisora will be coming off a 14-month layoff.

Although he will be giving up about five inches in height to Wilder, Chisora’s stature and style have often been more to his benefit than his detriment over the years. Depending on what Wilder has left – and how well Chisora’s chin holds up – Chisora could make things very uncomfortable for “The Bronze Bomber.”

The undercard includes a cruiserweight fight between Viddal Riley, 13-0 (7 KOs), and Mateusz Masternak, 50-6 (33 KOs). Riley, 28, is coming off a unanimous decision last April over the once-beaten Cheavon Clarke, while Masternak, 38, has won three straight since getting stopped after eight rounds with then-WBO titleholder Chris Billam-Smith in late 2023.

There is also an interim WBO middleweight title bout between Denzel Bentley, 21-3-1 (17 KOs), and Endry Saavedra, 17-1-1 (14 KOs). The primary titleholder is Janibek Alimkhanuly, whom the WBO suspended but opted against stripping despite his positive test for a banned performance-enhancing drug. Alimkhanuly was otherwise stripped of his IBF title.

More fights to watch

Friday, April 3: Pat Brown vs. Vasil Ducar (DAZN)

The broadcast begins at 2 p.m. ET (7 p.m. BST). A preliminary undercard will start at 11:40 a.m. ET (4:40 p.m. BST).

Brown, 5-0 (5 KOs), is a 26-year-old cruiserweight from Manchester, England. He competed in the 2024 Olympics in the amateur equivalent weight class of heavyweight, but he lost in his opening bout to Keno Marley. Brown turned pro in 2025 and fought five times, all a bit above the 200lbs limit. His most recent win was in November, when he scored a two-round TKO against former light heavyweight fringe contender Felix Valera.

Ducar, 19-7-2 (14 KOs), is a 36-year-old from Czechia. Most of his defeats have come when he has stepped up and taken on familiar names: Kevin Lerena in 2019, Aleksei Egorov in 2020, Chris Billam-Smith in 2021, Mike Perez in 2022 (in Ducar’s only stoppage loss), Jordan Thompson in 2022 and Cheavon Clarke in 2023. Since the Clarke fight, Ducar has won five straight, none coming against decent opposition.

Friday, April 3: Antonio Perez vs. Abraham Montoya (DAZN)

The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. ET (midnight BST).

Lightweight prospect Antonio Perez will take on gatekeeper Abraham Montoya in the main event at Archer Music Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Perez, 11-0 (5 KOs), is a 24-year-old from about 90 minutes away in the state’s capital city of Harrisburg. He fought just once per year in 2024 and 2025, outpointing the 16-0-1 Antonio Williams and then spending almost exactly a year away before shutting out the 18-7 Alex Martin last June.

Montoya, 23-7-1 (14 KOs), is a 31-year-old from Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. He was the first person to defeat Luis Alberto Lopez – via split decision in 2018, before Lopez would go on to win a world title at featherweight. Montoya dropped a wide decision to junior lightweight prospect Muhammad Yaqubov in 2019 and has remained mostly on the losing end since.

Montoya did give the 12-0 Alejandro Guerrero his first blemish in 2021, but Montoya then proceeded to drop three straight decisions to the 20-1 Gabriel Flores Jnr, the 17-0 Andres Cortes and the 19-1 Moussa Gholam. He then bounced back with two wins against lower-tier foes before getting outpointed by the 11-0 Marc Castro in April 2024.

Seven months later, Montoya gave former titleholder Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jnr a reality check, triumphing via split decision. But Montoya wouldn’t fight again until a year later. In that most recent appearance, he once again went to the scorecards in defeat, losing to the 13-0 Tsendbaatar Erdenebat this past November.

Saturday, April 4: Tim Tszyu vs. Denis Nurja (Amazon Prime, Kayo Sports and Main Event)

The broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET (2 a.m. BST).

Tszyu, 26-3 (18 KOs), is a 31-year-old former junior middleweight titleholder whose reign ended in March 2024 via split decision in a bloody battle with Sebastian Fundora. He has gone 2-2 since then, getting pummeled for three rounds by then-IBF titleholder Bakhram Murtazaliev in October 2024; stopping Joey Spencer last April; remaining on his stool after seven rounds with Fundora this past July; and shutting out the 18-0-1 Anthony Velazquez in December.

Nurja, 20-0 (9 KOs), is a 31-year-old from Albania. In 2025, he outpointed a 4-4-4 foe over six rounds; took out the 13-3 Kiryl Samadurau in five rounds; and notched a six-round unanimous decision over the 8-4 Refik Tarhan. Most recently, Nurja needed just three minutes to dispatch the 17-13-1 Jose Gregorio Marcano in February.

Tszyu vs. Nurja will be contested at a contractually agreed-upon weight limit of 157lbs. If Tszyu wins, he is expected to move on toward a clash with former unified welterweight titleholder Errol Spence Jnr.

Also on this show in Wollongong, New South Wales, Sam Goodman, 21-1 (8 KOs), will face Rodrigo Fabian Ruiz, 23-1 (17 KOs), in an IBF junior featherweight title eliminator; and a battle of unbeaten middleweight prospects will feature Callum Peters, 5-0 (5 KOs), against Delio Anzaqeci Mouzinho, 4-0 (4 KOs).

Saturday, April 4: Lauren Price vs. Stephanie Aquino (BBC Two)

The broadcast begins at 3 p.m. ET (8 p.m. BST).

Price, 9-0 (2 KOs), is the unified IBF, WBA and WBC titleholder at 147lbs as well as Ring Magazine’s welterweight champion. Price dethroned Jessica McCaskill in May 2024, made her first defense with a three-round TKO of the 7-0 Bexcy Mateus and then outpointed Natasha Jonas in March 2025 to add the IBF and WBC belts. A 31-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, Wales, Price also won a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. 

Aquino, 10-0 (3 KOs), is a 35-year-old from Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Last year, she stopped the 11-1-2 Marie Pier Houle in two rounds and then won a unanimous decision over former three-division titleholder Anahi Ester Sanchez.

This show is taking place in the Welsh capital at Utilita Arena Cardiff.

Sunday, April 5: Caroline Dubois vs. Terri Harper (ESPN+ and Sky Sports)

The main broadcast begins at 2 p.m. ET (7 p.m. BST). A preliminary undercard will stream at noon ET (5 p.m. BST) on ESPN+, Most Valuable Promotions’ YouTube Channel and Sky Sports’ YouTube Channel.

Caroline Dubois, 12-0-1 (5 KOs), is the WBC lightweight titleholder. She will be making the fourth defense of her belt – and seeking to add another in this unification bout with WBO titleholder Terri Harper.

Dubois, a 25-year-old from London, is the sister of heavyweight Daniel Dubois. Her amateur years culminated in a berth in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Dubois won her first two bouts in the lightweight tournament before losing a close decision in the quarterfinals to eventual bronze medalist Sudaporn Seesondee.

“Sweet Caroline” entered the professional ranks in early 2022. In August 2024, in her 10th pro outing, Dubois outpointed Maira Moneo and was awarded the WBC’s secondary interim belt at 135lbs. She was then upgraded once Katie Taylor vacated the primary title later in the year.

In her three fights last year, Dubois had a cut-shortened technical draw with the 14-4 Jessica Camara; took a majority decision over the 18-2-3 Bo Mi Re Shin; and won wide on the scorecards against the 8-2-1 Camilla Panatta.

Harper, 16-2-2 (6 KOs), is a 29-year-old from Doncaster, England, who has won world titles in three weight classes, including her current reign with the WBO lightweight belt.

Harper turned pro in November 2017 and won her first strap in February 2020, receiving the WBC junior lightweight belt in February 2020 with a wide decision over Eva Wahlstrom. Her first defense was a very competitive battle with Natasha Jonas that ended as a draw. Harper then fought through a broken hand for several rounds before stopping the 13-0 Katharina Thanderz.

It was another year before Harper returned, and that brought the end of her reign, as she was dispatched herself in four rounds by Alycia Baumgardner in November 2021. By September 2022, Harper was up four divisions at junior middleweight, where she outpointed Hannah Rankin for the WBA belt. Harper then won a decision over Ivana Habazin and fought to a draw with Cecilia Braekhus in a 2023 bout that also had the vacant WBO title on the line. 

Since then, Harper’s been going back down in weight. She was stopped after four rounds by then-welterweight titleholder Sandy Ryan in March 2024. Six months later, Harper took the WBO belt at 135lbs by outpointing the 10-0 Rhiannon Dixon. In her first defense (and most recent fight), Harper widely outpointed the 13-0 Natalie Zimmermann last May.

The undercard at the National Hall at Olympia in London includes an undisputed championship fight at 122lbs between Ellie Scotney, 11-0 (0 KOs), who has the IBF, WBC and WBO titles, and WBA beltholder Mayelli Flores Rosquero, 13-1-1 (4 KOs).

Two other title fights are featured on the show: Irma Garcia, 25-5-1 (5 KOs), will defend her IBF junior bantamweight belt against Emma Dolan, 8-0 (1 KO); and former undisputed junior welterweight champion Chantelle Cameron, 21-1 (8 KOs), will vie for the vacant WBO title at 154lbs against Michaela Kotaskova, 11-0-2 (4 KOs).

Sunday, April 5: Andres Cortes vs. Eridson Garcia (Paramount+)

The broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. ET (10:30 p.m. BST).

Cortes, 24-0 (13 KOs), is a 28-year-old junior lightweight from Las Vegas. Since 2024, he has stopped the 20-1-1 Bryan Chevalier in the fourth round; outpointed the 23-2 Abraham Nova; nearly shut out the 14-1-1 Salvador Jimenez; and won a fourth-round knockout against the 13-4-1 Derlyn Hernandez-Gerarldo. Cortes is ranked No. 4 by the WBO and No. 5 by the WBC.

Garcia, 23-1 (14 KOs), is a 31-year-old from the Dominican Republic who lives in Houston. He is ranked No. 8 by the WBO and No. 14 by the WBA. Garcia has won six straight since getting taken out in the first round by Jordan White in 2023. Among Garcia’s victories were a unanimous decision over the 17-1 William Foster III in 2024 and a split decision over the 9-0 Taiga Imanaga this past December.

Also on the main undercard at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas: a lightweight bout between former featherweight titleholder Mark Magsayo, 28-2 (18 KOs), and former junior lightweight title challenger Feargal McCrory, 17-1 (9 KOs), back for just the second time since his eighth-round TKO loss to Lamont Roach Jnr in June 2024. Plus: a clash between featherweights Azat Hovhannisyan, 22-6 (17 KOs), and Eduardo Baez, 25-7-2 (10 KOs).

Other prospects scheduled to perform in separate bouts include featherweight Troy Nash, 6-0-1 (1 KO); bantamweight Emiliano Cardenas, 10-0 (4 KOs); and lightweight Robert Meriwether III, 10-0 (4 KOs).

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.