Magnificent Seven preview: Derek Chisora
Derek Chisora is an enigma. Is he a talented pugilist and the best young heavyweight prospect in the country? Or is just the new Matt Skelton with the ego of Floyd Mayweather and the self congratulatory hyperbole of Audley Harrison?
To start with it looked like he was going to get lost in his own reflection. “Del Boy” was incredibly cocky when he arrived on the scene, the Zimbabwe-born Finchley based fighter had the attitude of a long serving heavyweight world champion when he was still learning the basics. This all came to a head or ear when he bit the lobe of Paul Butlin and was subsequently banned for four months. A stupid and childish move.
After that it looked like Chisora might have mellowed and let his fighting do the talking. He even held his hands up to his error and got some good wins under his belt including gaining possession of the British title as Del Boy threatened to go sensible. Although that said, just the other day he was up to his old tricks calling world champion David Haye “a thief in the night”.
As a fighter he doesn’t move too bad for a big man. His Joe Frazier tribute head bobbing in particular is impressive and he packs a lot of power in his right, his left is a touch sketchy but his overhand right is a potent weapon, certainly enough to finish off the remains of Danny Williams career.
He fights Sam Sexton on the weekend in a rematch that has fallen through on a number of occasions. In the original match they were both a bit green and Chisora took the fight with a brutal barrage of hooks in the sixth round. Both fighters have improved in the last two years and there seems to be genuine animosity between them so it’s building up to be a real battle.
If Chisora takes Sexton’s commonwealth belt it will be another step up the ladder for the Londoner. Only time will tell if he can make it out of domestic fighting to international level. He has the skill-set but it all depends on whether he knuckles down and keeps his focus because the unlimited weight division is crying out for someone to ransack it.
Chisora already thinks he’s the worlds greatest, it’s now time for him to prove it, or look very foolish.
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