David Haye, manager of Dereck Chisora, feels the addition of Buddy McGirt to the team will ensure one more great, give his all performance from the 37-year-old warhorse. Chisora is in for the toughest fight of his long career against Joseph Parker, Haye says, with the veteran in need of a performance where he gets is “super right.” Speaking with The Star, former cruiserweight and heavyweight champ Haye said McGirt, who famously trained the one and only Arturo Gatti, can bring out something similar in Chisora.
“Hopefully we’re going to get a 19 stone Gatti out there,” Haye said ahead of tomorrow’s must-win fight in Manchester.
“He’s brought in Buddy McGirt, the Hall of Fame American trainer who’s had amazing nights with guys like Arturo Gatti, these crazy fights, so hopefully we’re going to get a 19 stone Gatti out there,” Hays said. “There’s going to be a lot of action, that’s what everybody wants, and that’s what Dereck’s done consistently year after year.
I think if Dereck can get past Parker’s jab, if he is able to drag Parker into the battle zone, then I think we’ve got ourselves an absolute barnstormer of a fight. Dereck’s got to bring Parker into his world, which is blood and guts when things get real dark, real tough in there.”
Haye says Chisora has faced “much better opposition,” than 29-year-old Parker (and Chisora’s resume is quite amazing: Vitali Klitschko, Haye himself, Dillian Whyte X2, Carlos Takam (a common opponent with Parker), Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury X2, and more), and that he believes Parker, 28-2(21) will struggle “in that zone, where Dereck has lived.” Chisora has to make it his fight. If he can, maybe we will get something special as Haye says.
Any fight, any performance from a fighter that proves deserving of being compared with Gatti is indeed something very special. Let’s hope we get something on that level tomorrow night. Or is this asking too much? After all those tough, even hellish fights, how much has Chisora, 32-10(23) got left in the tank? How much can he possibly have left in the tank?
Prediction: I’m going for one last gargantuan effort from Chisora, one that will see the Londoner pick up a close, extremely hard-earned decision victory.
(Note: This was written before Chisora threatened to pull out of tomorrow’s fight. Let’s hope the fight goes ahead!)