Chisora Wants Fight 51 Against WBA Champ Murat Gassiev

Derek Chisora isn't done. The 42-year-old Brit, now 36-14 (23 KO), has publicly called out WBA heavyweight champion Murat Gassiev, teasing a 51st professional fight on social media with a graphic of the pair drawn as two chickens and the caption "Fight 51." He tagged Gassiev's promoter, IBA Pro, to make sure the message landed.

That would be Chisora's third crack at a world title. His first two came against genuine all-time greats — a unanimous-decision loss to Vitali Klitschko on the road in 2012, and a 10th-round stoppage against Tyson Fury in their 2022 trilogy fight. Gassiev, 34-2 (27 KO), is a very different proposition: a lighter-punching but technically sound champion who was bumped from "regular" to full WBA titleholder after Oleksandr Usyk vacated.

The Wilder Detour

The pivot to Gassiev only happened because Chisora couldn't get what he actually wanted. His April bout with Deontay Wilder — billed as a farewell, his 50th pro outing — ended in a split-decision defeat, with Chisora hitting the canvas twice. He disputed the scorecards and demanded an immediate rematch.

Wilder, though, has bigger fish. At 45-4-1 (43 KO), the American is being floated as a leading candidate for Usyk's likely 2026 swansong. That closed the door, so Chisora went looking elsewhere. Enter Gassiev, who's coming off a sixth-round stoppage of Peter Kadiru and stared Chisora down at a face-off earlier this month.

Why It Makes Sense — And Why It Doesn't

On paper, Gassiev is the softest of the three targets. His 27 knockouts read well, but at cruiserweight he built his name on skill and body work rather than one-punch terror, and Chisora has always been tough to discourage. If Del Boy is chasing a belt before the clock runs out, this is the most realistic route.

The counter-argument is written into the record. Chisora is 42, has been in wars for two decades, and just got dropped twice by a heavyweight most figured was fading. Gassiev, ten years younger and undefeated at the weight since moving up, would be a heavy favorite. Whether IBA Pro even entertains the idea is another question — but Chisora has never needed permission to make noise.