Explaining how the fight came to be, Wilder told talkSPORT.com in an exclusive interview: "Although we were in talks with Usyk, we still didn't have a date or a place; we were still scrambling around.

"In boxing, things either go very slow or very fast. There is no in between. And this was very slow.

"I am an older fighter; I can't sit around like a young fighter.

"So while we were in negotiations with Usyk, we started negotiations with Chisora.

"This fight [with Chisora] was supposed to happen back in December.

"So talks were already in an advanced stage before we got talking again, and by the time everything had stalled [with Usyk], we already got the fight [with Chisora] signed.

"And then, when we had it signed with Chisora, that is when Usyk's people came in and said, 'Okay, let's go, we are ready'.

"But I wasn't going to do Chisora like that.

"Me and Chisora have already been through enough. I didn't want to back out of this now.

"This is his 50th fight and final fight, and what better guy to retire with?

"I'm one of his good mates... this is going to get me to where I need to be, or where I think I should be, moving forward.

"I get past Derek, and that will put the heavyweight division on notice, and then we can move on to Usyk."

https://talksport.com/boxing/3960747...leksandr-usyk/