Deontay Wilder pauses fight to mouth five-word message to Derek Chisora in stunning moment

Deontay Wilder left boxing fans stunned during a brief moment in round nine of his victory over Derek Chisora.

The bout, which took place at London's O2 Arena, saw Wilder win by split decision, though many watching felt he should have finished the fight earlier.

Chisora said he would retire from professional boxing prior to the fight, and said 'I think so' when asked again about that plan in his post-fight interview.

As for Wilder, the American called out Anthony Joshua as he left the arena - with Joshua notably giving nothing away by remaining completely silent in response.

Wilder dominated the opening exchanges and, following a comeback from Chisora, knocked his opponent down in the eighth round with a trademark right hand.

Chisora beat the count and managed to survive until the final bell to hear the victory announcement for Wilder.

But fans were left stunned in round nine, after Wilder had trapped Chisora in the corner and looked ready to land the final blow.

Instead of immediately targeting his opponent, however, the 'Bronze Bomber' stepped back for the briefest of moments and appeared to show some compassion towards Chisora.

There are several fan theories over whether he said 'I'm sorry, I love you... I love you', or 'I have to' - though it didn't end up having the match-ending impact as Wilder missed his punch, before Chisora then ducked and fell between the loose ropes.

Deontay Wilder before punching Derek Chisora:

“I’m sorry… I love you. I love you.”

😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/iHd1BRb4N0

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) April 5, 2026

Either way, the message underlined what is clearly great respect between the two fighters, as evidenced by Wilder's post-fight comments to DAZN.

"I was telling him in the ring as I started to see his eyes swell and his temple start to buckle a bit... I said, 'Bro, you've got to live for your kids. I don't want to hurt you too much longer'.

"I started having fun in there because I saw my brother starting to get hurt.

"I looked after Derek tonight. I didn't want to go too hard on him because I saw his temple. The veins started coming out of his head. I wanted him to live for his kids.

"It's time for us to take care of each other."