Chisora-Fury 2 and Jennings-Perez next Saturday

By Gavin Duthie - 07/19/2014 - Comments

fury9999By Gav Duthie: On July 26 four heavyweight title prospects will lock horns. In an all British affair Dereck Chisora 20-4 (13) will take on Tyson Fury 22-0 (16) in Manchester and a few hours later Cuban Mike Perez 20-0-1 (12) will face American Bryant Jennings 18-0 (10) in New York. For the winners of both fights imminent title challenges await.

The winner of Chisora-Fury will become Wladimir Klitschko’s mandatory WBO challenger and although less is at stake for Jennings and Perez they are ranked #2 and #3 respectively with the WBC behind Deontay Wilder so a challenge against the winner of Wilder-Stiverne is highly probable. 

Dereck Chisora 20-4 (13) v Tyson Fury 22-0 (16)

Vacant British Title
European Title
WBO International Title

There’s plenty on the line for this bout. Chisora is defending his European and WBO international title and the vacant British title is also up for grabs. Probably most importantly though is the mandatory position for The WBO title. Wladimir will be hoping Chisora wins because he has had previous altercations with the Londoner when Del Boy spat on Wladimir’s face before his fight with older brother Vitali. Wladimir has also called out Fury on several occasions. Fury often talks about a fight between them but I think his camp are doubtful that he is ready for it. 

A rejuvenated Chisora?

Being that 30 year old Chisora has already had a failed attempt for a heavyweight crown its probably wrong to call him a prospect. Saying that he certainly has been rejuvenated of late. His knockout loss to David Haye was a real crossroads in is career and he is now back on the right path. Chisora has a good engine and his pressure is relentless. 

Fury looked badly out of shape against Joey Abell last time out and it took him a couple of rounds to get rid of the ring rust. He was rumored to have had a 10 round behind closed door fight with Carlos Takam in preparation so despite all the trash talk both guys seem to be taking this very seriously. 

The first fight

Fury won a 12 round decision over Chisora 3 years ago which began a spiral of 4 losses for Del Boy. Fury was undoubtedly the winner but the Londoner did have his moments. Obviously this previous fight can’t be dismissed completely in picking a winner this time around but you will definitely see two completely different men in the ring next week. 

Fury v Chisora 1
Tyson Fury (255 lbs)
Dereck Chisora (261 lbs)

Last fights

Fury v Joey Abell (274 lbs)
Chisora v Kevin Johnson (238 lbs)

Being that Fury is 8 inches taller than Chisora it was a disgrace that Del Boy outweighed him in their first fight. Chisora hurt Fury a couple of times and backed him up against the ropes. The problem was he had absolutely no stamina hence couldn’t sustain any attacks. Chisora has lost close to two stone since then and is in a much better place. He knows he can’t outbox these guys. He has modeled his current style on Joe Frazier, lots of head movement, constant pressure but with an overhand right instead of Frazier’s big left hook. Obviously Chisora is nowhere near Frazier’s class but adopting this style allows him to be he be version of himself. 

A desolated Fury?

Alternatively Fury has added almost two stone from their first encounter. There is no doubt he was damaged after his two fight cancellation against David Haye. His purse for that fight was £5 million. He will only get a fraction of that against Chisora, furthermore it meant he was out of the ring for almost a year after beating Steve Cunningham. When Chisora’s two fights with Wladimir Klitschko fell through it affected his determination and training. Hopefully Fury will be 100% focused for this and he won’t have the same issues Chisora did. Fury needs to realize he is facing a different Chisora this time. The fact that Fast Eddie Chambers is permanently based in the Fury camp is positive. Chambers also fights next Saturday and they’ve been responsible for getting each other fit. Fury and Chambers have both struggled with stamina in the past so this will hopefully prove beneficial. 

Improved fighters?

Both fighters are much improved since their first fight. Chisora has a good chin and has doubled his work rate. Fury has finally found out what a jab is. Neither is the finished article but I think Chisora is fighting the bet way he possibly can and at 6″9 Fury can get away with weaknesses like Valuev did. 

The overhand right of Chisora could be important as Fury has been troubled many times by that shot, most recently Cruiserweight Steve Cunningham knocked him down. Chisora throws that shot well and often. Fury needs to make sure his jab is crisp and accurate and sets up shorter hooks and uppercuts as Chisora comes in. 

I think this will be a much more entertaining fight than the first and as long as they both come in at a good fit fighting weight then the best man will win. I have a feeling for Chisora. 

Bryant Jennings 18-0 (10) V Mike Perez 20-0-1 (12)

With both undefeated, Jennings at 29 and Perez 28, they are arguably both coming into their prime. Jennings might not have the knock out power of fellow American Deontay Wilder but the fact that he has went the distance a few times may work in his favor. Jennings has a good jab and decent hand speed. He can also mix it up on the inside and his most impressive punch is when he steps back with the right uppercut. Perez is also a good inside fighter. However seeing as the Cuban pulled out of this same fight fight earlier citing a shoulder injury and his last performance against Carlos Takam was below his usual standard I worry about him. I still think he may be in a fragile state of mind after what happened with previous opponent Abdusalamov ending up in a coma. 

The mental state of Mike Perez

Mike Perez thought he might even retire after that fight because he was on the floor. He didn’t want to box or train and he needed the full support of his family to get through. 

Prediction

I think Jennings has definitely got the edge in hand speed. Perez is good on the inside and that suited him against Abdusalamov as Perez was smaller and could land more punches. If he tries to draw Jennings into a similar fight he may struggle with the Jennings uppercut and also his jab and move style. Perez can win this but he needs to be fully fit and 100% focused. He will need to completely outwork the American as Jennings can mix his attacks quite well. Perez shows good technique with his hooks but with only the 12 knockouts I don’t think he can knock Perez out. Again I think this fight will be entertaining but Jennings should have enough to win on points. 

Future of the heavyweight division

These four along with the likes of Deontay Wilder and Bermaine Stiverne are the future of the heavyweight division. Next Saturday night could go a long way to shaping up that future. At the moment I think Jennings is probably the most well rounded fighter of the group but what we still love about the heavyweights is that one punch can change everything. I for one will be quite sad when the Klitschko era comes to an end. I think they have been great ambassadors for the sport and have fought the best out there all be it with a limited pool of elite fighters. I do feel however that if the one dominant fighter does leave it will make the division exciting again. These four fighting next Saturday plus about a dozen others will feel they have the ability to become world champion and i am looking forward to seeing who is the best of the rest. 



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