By Barry Holbrook: Manager David Haye says Dereck Chisora will bringing an intensity we haven’t seen from him before when he takes on Oleksandr Usyk this Saturday on October 31 for the WBO heavyweight mandatory slot.
Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) is prepared to empty his tank to defeat the unbeaten former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) at the Wembley Arena in London, UK. The Usyk vs. Chisora fight will be shown on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN in the U.S.
For the 36-year-old Chisora, this might be the final time he gets a chance to put himself in position for a world title shot. If he’s beaten soundly by Usyk and knocked out, there won’t be any coming back from this, and he knows this.
Chisora has shown glimpses of world-class pedigree
“Many aren’t giving Dereck Chisora a chance for victory,” said Haye to Sky Sports Boxing about his fight against Usyk. “The man [Chisora] that we’ll see step through the ropes will be very different than what we’ve seen before.
“In those short spurts, he’s shown glimpses of world-class heavyweight pedigree,” Haye said about Chisora’s fights against Artur Szpilk and Carlos Takam.
“He’s fighting a guy that is one of the best cruiserweights in history against a guy that was knocked out by Dillian Whyte a couple of years ago. It’s a massive hurdle [for Chisora]. He’s going to put something on Usyk’s lap that he hasn’t seen before.”
Chisora has looked exceptional in his last two fights against David Price and Artur Szpilka, but those were lower-level opponents. The southpaw Usyk, 33, is a different story talent-wise, someone that can make Chisora look like ham & egger if he’s not at his best.
Dereck can capture WBO mandatory spot
“He’s going to bring an intensity that no one has seen before, and Usyk definitely hasn’t seen before,” Haye said of Chisora. “He’s [Usyk] had one fight at heavyweight [Chazz Witherspoon], and I don’t think he looked great in that fight. Chisora has the perfect style to get him up against the ropes and really let fly some leather.
“Usyk is number one in the WBO’s rankings,” Haye continued. “If Dereck Chisora can beat the man, he’s in that position; he’s knocking on the door for a world title fight [against Anthony Joshua]. He’s in an amazing position.”
Chisora has a slim chance of beating Usyk, but he can do it if he puts enough pressure on him. As Haye accurately points out, Usyk didn’t perform well in his heavyweight debut against 38-year-old Witherspoon last October.
Usyk struggled in his fight against Joe Joyce in the World Series of Boxing. Joyce, who is very slow hands, marked Usyk’s face and held his own in losing a five-round fight.
