Much of Dereck Chisora’s professional career has been a muddled path of the wrong opportunities coming at the wrong time for the 29-year-old.
Over the course of late 2011 and 2012, the Zimbabwean-born athlete went through a stretch of losses against David Haye, Vitali Klitschko, Tyson Fury and Robert Helenius, all of which were fights that he deserved but perhaps didn’t need at the time.
However, all fell into place on Saturday evening as Chisora won the vacant European heavyweight title, stopping Edmund Gerber in the fifth round of their Copper Box bout, per BBC Sport.
With the win under his belt, Chisora once again has his pick of a fairly slim bunch and must choose wisely in chasing his next fight, of which the Klitschko brothers make the most sense.
Between them, the siblings currently hold six titles, 105 career wins and just five losses.
Vitali, the older and more likely of the two that Chisora would even have the option to fight, accounts for the WBC world heavyweight championship and two of those losses, whereas Wladimir boasts the WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO and The Ring world heavyweight belts.
However, it already seems as though “Del Boy” has his eyes set on a particular rematch. The Telegraph’s Gareth A Davies quoted the fighter as saying that another match against David Haye would be most entertaining for the punter.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but there are better fights in Great Britain for the public to watch than us going to challenge [the Klitschko brothers] for the world title. [...]
Why should I say I want to box for a world title when the Klitschkos are trying to slave you for the world titles you're fighting for. I don't like those guys the more I talk about them the more I get upset.
While Chisora may be “getting upset,” a run at the Ukraine’s favourite fighters-turned-politicians would be most beneficial for him as a boxer.
While the Klitschkos offer titles and a genuine chance for Chisora to convince doubters of his pedigree, Haye holds nothing aside from an incredibly high risk but low reward (except financially) challenge.
Even if Chisora were to beat the once retired Haye, there would still exist some doubts around a fighter who would still have not proved himself against the world's finest. Either Klitschko presents a more genuine vindication of the 29-year-old's talents and, like any good motivational book will tell you, if you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best.
Of course, Chisora is right in claiming that a revival of the bloodlust between him and Haye would attract punters. At the elite level of the game, the only thing better than two of the finest powers in the sport meeting is when that match has the added touch of a personal war.
Earlier in the week, Haye announced that his scheduled fight with Fury was off due to a cut suffered above his eye during his final training session.
While the bout was being billed as one of the most entertaining heavyweight matchups in recent years, Chisora now benefits from the twist in fate and can afford to be picky with his options.
A fight with Haye also has the added spice of drudging up the demons that permeated as a result of the infamous brawl that the pair had in Munich last year.
However, the Klitschkos have a shorter shelf life than Haye and could be a sterner test of Chisora’s steel. He could save any Haye redemption for a potential bout in the future.
That being said, it's the expiry date of any Klitschko fixture that reinforces the urgency with which Chisora needs to address the issue. If Chisora were to attempt to settle his beef with Haye next before going on to lose, his chance at challenging for the world titles would most likely be gone.
Still just 32 years of age, Haye should be there waiting for the London native whatever the result of a Klitschko meeting, as eager to settle the score as anyone else.
While the reigning European champion may be eager to exact revenge on a man who had the upper hand on him in the past, revenge should subside for now, with sense taking its place.
Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment