Was Derek Chisora right to snub Fabio Wardley for Deontay Wilder?

When the final bell goes in London this April, Derek Chisora will hang the gloves up on one of British boxing's most fascinating careers.

Born in Harare, then raised between Hatfield and Finchley, 'Del Boy' has long enshrined himself among the sport's leading characters.

Fifty fights in, he will bid farewell against another giant of the heavyweight division, in the shape of former WBC champion Deontay Wilder.

Yet while the brash American will offer similar star wattage at London's The O2 Arena, he was far from the only man in the mix to face too.

For weeks, with Wilder linked to a bout against Oleksandr Usyk, Chisora was viewed as a leading candidate to face Fabio Wardley instead.

A two-time WBC title challenger, in 2012 and 2022, there would have been a fitting fairytale finale in store for the veteran had he taken it.

Instead, a potential third and final bid to secure champion status was left on the table, with the star ultimately choosing to move elsewhere.

So was snubbing Wardley the right decision? Or should Chisora have taken him on instead? DAZN News considers the case for and against.

Did Chisora make the right decision?

Forty-two and starting to show his age in the ring, Chisora may have saved himself from a possibly chastening end to his career with his move.

His last few performances have still shown plenty of flashes of the boisterous bruiser who could slug nearly anybody at the peak of his powers.

But his skills are undoubtedly waning, not helped by the wear-and-tear of almost half-a-century of fights on his body, in and outside the ring.

Wardley, by comparison, is a decade younger, the white-collar kid out to make another statement after turning over Joseph Parker in October.

Richard Pelham/Getty Images

The New Zealander outlasted two-dozen rounds and a knockdown to defeat Chisora on two occasions when he was an ex-world champion.

If his theoretically improved form could not withstand Wardley turning the tide, what does that say about 'War' and his prospects to surprise?

In Wilder, Chisora has found a fellow showman of aging stature, a man whose own stock sits arguably lower despite his achievements too.

Win or lose, it will be a final dance with a fellow titan headed for life beyond the ring - and one where he will be favoured to sign off with a win.

Did Chisora make the wrong decision?

On the other hand, there is another world out there with Derek Chisora riding off into the sunset as a world champion, the fairytale complete.

Any heavyweight will tell you there is a puncher's chance once in the ring - but more than that, 'Del Boy' has upset the odds time and again.

He may have the kind of professional record that speaks to his status as something of a journeyman, but it points to his guile and craft as well.

Wardley, for all his success so far, has perhaps seldom been dragged into deep waters the way Chisora has, even as he comes out on top.

Queensberry/Leigh Dawney

It would have made for a fascinating test of his credentials - and allowed the senior star to reaffirm his position as an elder statesman of sorts.

Wilder will catch headlines of course, but for Chisora, it is perhaps the easy way to sign off - for as much as 'The Bronze Bomber' is easy.

A shot at Wardley would have enhanced his reputation, whatever the result. Lose and he still would have gone down swinging for a third time.

Win though? It would have rewritten his entire legacy - and perhaps assured him of a place in the pantheon when all is said and done.

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