Edmund Gerber will look to become the European Heavyweight Champion when he takes on Dereck Chisora on Saturday in London. This is Gerber's first attempt, and Chisora's second.
Chisora, at least on paper, is the favorite. He is 17-4 with 11 KOs against top competition, while Gerber 23-1 with 14 KOs, albeit against more average opponents. Compared to Chisora, Gerber is relatively unknown, and this is his first real chance at the big-time.
Chisora, for his part, is quite confident that he's going to win. He told boxingscene.com, via ESPN, that Gerber is just a stepping stone so that he can face the Klitschkos:
I'm fit, lean and mean and ready to do the business against Gerber who is a good fighter, but not in my class. I really want to do a great job on him, really smash him up and show that I deserve a shot at the Klitschkos.
Chisora lost to Vitali Klitschko in 2012. Gerber has a chance to capitalize on Chisora's hubris and come away with a win.
What can Gerber do to pull off the upset and earn the European heavyweight belt?
In order to win, Gerber will need to combat Chisora's fast pace and powerful punches. He can do this by stunning Chisora. Gerber isn't the most powerful puncher, but if he gets a number of jabs in that put Chisora back on his heels, then the German has a chance.
In addition, Gerber has to have a lot of endurance. Chisora is going to come out swinging, with fast, hard punches. Because of that, Chisora is going to tire out, giving Gerber an opportunity to score a KO near the end. Gerber needs to hold strong and take a few big blows before coming back with a couple of final strikes to stun Chisora.
This is not the easiest of strategies, of course. Chisora really is a good fighter and is a powerful puncher. Gerber has to stand in there and try to avoid big blows. Luckily, he has a solid chin and can take a few punches.
The longer he lasts, the better chance he has. Chisora does his damage usually with one blow, like he did in his last bout against Malik Scott. But let's remember—Chisora is a bit of a streaky fighter. He lost two of his three fights in 2011 and both of his fights in 2012 before finally getting off the schnide in April of this year with a victory over Hector Alfredo Avila. While Chisora is the more experienced fighter, he is not necessarily the best fighter.
It certainly won't be easy for Gerber. He has to hang in there and hope he doesn't get knocked out. If he can take this the distance, then he has a real shot at winning.
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