Derek Chisora’s defeat to Deontay Wilder was expected to confirm his retirement, but ‘Del Boy’ is still yet to formally confirm that his career has come to an end. Now, the 42-year-old could be on the verge of a world title shot – an opportunity which would undoubtedly convince him to remain in the sport. 

Chisora had planned to walk away from boxing following his fiftieth bout, against Wilder back in April, but a split-decision defeat to ‘The Bronze Bomber’ appeared to leave him wanting more, with a potential rematch against the American tempting him to continue in the fight game.

However, that is not the only opportunity that could potentially postpone the retirement of the fan-favourite heavyweight, with a potential third challenge for the heavyweight throne, following unsuccessful attempts against Vitali Klitschko and Tyson Fury, possibly around the corner.

Speaking in a post-fight interview, after the maiden defence of his WBA heavyweight world title against Peter Kadiru, Murat Gassiev shared his interest in a possible clash with Chisora.

“If we can’t unify the belts in the near future, why not [fight Chisora]?

“Chisora and I have a good relationship. We’re friends. He’s a big name in boxing, and that fight would generate a lot of excitement.”

Gassiev halted Germany’s Kadiru after six rounds of one-sided action in Russia, but the 32-year-old has also previously called for a clash with highly-rated youngster, Moses Itauma, who fights Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic next month and is considered as the frontrunner to be Gassiev’s next opponent.