Derek Chisora vs Deontay Wilder betting tips: Saturday April 4th 2026

Odds Now's resident combat expert Max Boosey is on hand to preview Saturday's clash of two boxing veterans, as British stalwart Derek Chisora faces American Deontay Wilder at London's O2 Arena.

Derek Chisora vs Deontay Wilder betting preview

Veterans can serve up entertaining affair

Saturday night brings us a fight which many will simply brush off as two older fighters past their peak, looking for a final payday. But while some elements of that assessment are hard to argue with, it doesn't mean we don't have a potentially entertaining and intriguing contest on our hands here.

Chisora and Wilder have both had immense careers in the grand scheme of things. Though Chisora hasn't reached the very top, nobody can question he's given us some fantastic fights and been one of the game's great characters. Even in this back-end of his career, he's got tremendous guts and heart – if he goes down, it's always on his shield.

Wilder's name deserves respect, too. Before his trilogy of bruising bouts with Tyson Fury, the Bronzed Bomber was the WBC World Champion for the best part of five years, and is still considered one of the sport's hardest punchers ever.

It's fair to say things have not gone as well for the pair in recent times. But then, that's just Father Time doing his thing, isn't it? Chisora is 42 now and Wilder is 40 – you have to expect regression and kudos to both for still putting it all on the line at this point of their respective careers.

So, without wanting to state the obvious, Saturday night is all about who has what left in their tank.

Recent records may be misleading

It would be easy to deduce that Chisora is a worthy favourite here based on recent results – but I'm not so sure about that.

Yes, he arrives having won four of his last five bouts, the only loss coming to a class act in Fury. But examining those wins a bit more, how much substance do they have?

Last time out, he picked off a very badly beaten and downtrodden Otto Wallin, who looked fragile after a heavy defeat to Anthony Joshua. His victory over Kubrat Pulev, via split decision, was one that could've easily gone the other way – Pulev had much success in that fight. Even Gerard Washington had a bit of joy on the rare occasion he decided to engage, while Joe Joyce looked completely washed up in his loss to Del Boy.

Wilder, on the other hand, arrives here having lost four of his last six fights. I believe these to have been against far higher quality opponents, though.

The two Fury defeats were just a case of being outclassed by a smarter and classier boxer. Against Joseph Parker, Wilder managed to hear the final bell, albeit in a comprehensive defeat, while he suffered a brutal KO loss to China's Zhilei Zhang.

What I would argue is, if Chisora had met either Parker or Zhang on those respective dates, he'd have suffered a similar – or perhaps worse – fate. Those are two legit top-level operators and the way Wilder has been written off in this contest as a result of those two defeats feels a somewhat harsh assessment to me.

Big Fight Breakdown: Power gives Wilder a strong chance

In terms of how this fight may go, I give Wilder a strong chance of stopping Chisora.

In terms of power, the American has an obvious advantage. His right hand, while not anything a coach would try to teach a young prospect, is undoubtedly still one of the game's biggest weapons and if he connects with it, we know what the outcome will be.

Chisora is a tough man who will go to war with anyone and its hard to knock his guts and determination. But Wilder has heart too. We maybe don't associate him with that characteristic because of the manner in which his fights have traditionally played out – quick finishes, brutal knockouts. But in defeat, he's never been found wilting. He will happily go into battle and not back down from a scrap.

As I said at the start, both of these guys are some way past their best and we're not looking at two guys who can force their way back to the top of the tree here. This could even prove to be Chisora's last fight. But I still think both men are in a position to give this their all and really go to town on each other.

Looking at the form lines, I really don't see much between these two and it feels like a bout to be with the underdog.

Chisora has always been susceptible to a right hand throughout his career. His fight style is to suck up damage but there aren't many (Fury aside, perhaps) who can take that right hand from the Bronzed Bomber. If he grows into the fight in terms of confidence, we will see that right being unleashed more and more and I think he's going to connect clean with it eventually.

So, as well as a base play on Wilder to win the fight, I'm also finding myself leaning towards a Bronzed Bomber stoppage in the middle rounds of the fight. Both men will want to sound each other out a bit in the early stages but once the big swings start coming, it's the power specialist who can take advantage.

The 7/1 about a Wilder win in rounds 5-8 looks a juicy play at 7/1.

Upset afoot in Harper vs Dubois

Not many other fights take the eye this weekend in terms of a bet – but I do think there might be some value in Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper.

Dubois, a 1/5 favourite for victory, is an odds-on chance to get the verdict via decision. My take would be that the 15/8 on Dubois to win via stoppage looks too big at 15/8.

In more recent times, Dubois has not been associated with finishing opponents inside the distance, but early in her career she was an explosive finisher who racked up five straight stoppages between 2022 and 2023.

Crucially, though, I think she has a vulnerable opponent here in Harper. The popular Yorkshire girl has had a stellar career with world championship wins in three weight classes. But her two defeats to date were both comprehensive – stoppage losses to Alycia Baumgardner and Sandy Ryan.

This could feasibly be Harper's last fight if she loses. I think Dubois is a hungry young lion – four years her opponent's junior – and I'm expecting the undefeated favourite to come out all guns blazing.

At the prices, siding with her to get Harper out of there inside the distance looks a play.