Old Bones Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder fight this Saturday

Derek Chisora, 42, and Deontay Wilder,40, fight this Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, England.

They’re warriors for sure, but skill-wise, neither is top-notch.

Chisora’s strength is his HUGE heart. Wilder’s his HUGE punch. Retirement beckons, but only Chisora is listening; still, he’s been on a roll the last few years, winning three fights in succession.

Wilder has been going the other way. He’s lost four of his last five, but feels that a victory over Chisora will propel him up the rankings. He stopped Tyler Anthony Herdon in seven heats last June.

Chisora won a hard-fought decision over the much younger Otto Wallin last year. He ignored a bloody eye and floored Wallin twice. His win was exciting. Chisora is war and guts.

Wilder, who captured the WBC heavyweight title in 2015, defended it 10 times. His best victories were over crafty Luis Ortiz. His last defense was against Tyson Fury, who defeated Wilder twice in slugfests. Wilder’s ability is limited, but his accomplishments are impressive. His power saved him more than a few times.

Wilder recently said shoulder problems contributed to his losses.

“I’ve been dealing with shoulder injuries for the last four years,” Wilder said at a press conference several weeks ago..”You gotta keep it to yourself, and you just gotta go on with it. You don’t need to complain about certain things – you just gotta live your life with it.”

An interesting comment from a guy who’s used some of the most ridiculous excuses in the book to explain his losses to Fury.

His other two losses, to Joseph Parker, who decisioned him, and Zhilei Zhang, who knocked him out, were devastating.

Former super middleweight world champion Carl Froch, who’s never shy with his opinion, had this to say about the Wilder of today.

“He looks finished,” Froch told thesun.co.uk.said. “He’s awkward on his feet. He’s not a big puncher anymore.”

Hard to disagree with Froch. Wilder has looked like a lost shadow of what he once was over the last few years. He can likely thank Fury for that. Five knockdowns in two fights can cause major damage.

The former heavyweight champ knows how important his fight against Chisora is.

“This is definitely a must-win for me,” said Wilder. “Not only a win, I need a devastating win, a knockout. That’s what we come to see.”

Chisora, though training hard for the win, is in a serene place. If he wins, he wins; if he loses, gets knocked out, ‘that’s life.’

Many have been telling Chisora for years to retire. Literally after every loss, but the gritty Londoner goes by the beat of his own drum.

He’ll go when he’s ready, and, with the help of his wife, it sounds like he’s ready.

“I beat Wilder], then I retire,” Chisora told boxingnewonline.net two months ago. “I’m telling you, listen, my wife has already told me. ‘If you strap up any more gloves, I am out.”

Last week, he said, “I am not coming back,” he told Queensberry. “I will tell you why. I don’t have any more training camps in me. That is God’s honest truth. It happened at the Otto Wallin fight. The training camps became harder.”

Chisora sounds sincere, but we will see. First, he has to get past a determined Wilder.