Trainer Don Charles admitted to Sky Sports yesterday how he once had to question his ability to take his heavyweight, Dereck Chisora, as far as Chisora wants to go. It was after the second loss to Tyson Fury (just the second stoppage defeat of Chisora’s pro career) that Charles walked away – temporarily.
Chisora soon reunited with Charles and the result was the terrific performance a fully committed Chisora gave in his FOTY contender with Dillian Whyte. Chisora, 32, lost the fight via split decision, but the war was so brutal and so close it could have gone either way – Charles had it a draw, which probably would have been the fairest result, what with the two British heavies going tooth and nail for all 12 rounds, seemingly impossible to split as they were on December 10th.
But now, Charles says that with he and Chisora back together as the tight-knit team they once were, the future is good for the former world title challenger. Far from being his last great fight, or his last hurrah, Charles says the performance Chisora put on against Whyte can and will be matched in the future. Charles insists his warrior has plenty left to offer.
“It’s all down to sacrifices – lifestyle, commitment. He has promised that he will dedicate himself for the remainder of his career,” Charles said of Chisora. “Chisora has got at least 24 to 36 months left in his career.”
The big question is, who will “Del Boy” fight next? Will it be the rematch with Whyte, or will Whyte look elsewhere? For as long as he is able, Chisora will fight as hard, as passionately and as aggressively as he can. It remains to be seen how much the bruising battle with Whyte took out of him, and it is possible, despite Charles’ claims, that Chisora will never be the same again after that hellish encounter (Whyte too for that matter).
If these two do rumble again, let’s hope they both get rewarded the way they fully deserve to be rewarded. In terms of inside a British ring, we need look no further than the December 10 slugfest when it comes to the most thrilling fight of this year.