Bitter heavyweight rivals Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora both looked in fantastic physical condition as they stepped onto the scales for the official weigh-in ahead of tomorrow night’s two-years-in-the-making rematch. Weighing almost exactly the same at 17st 8lbs and 8oz for Whyte (a fraction above 246 pounds) and 17st 8lbs and 3oz for Chisora, it’s clear neither man has cut any corners in training.
Chisora especially impressed though, at this late stage in his career coming in looking better than ever. Both men are talking a great fight, and a KO win, and those fans who choose to purchase tomorrow’s fight – and not the “rival” pay-per-view card going on that same night, between featherweights Carl Frampton and Josh Warrington – are almost guaranteed a great battle. Nothing gave in fight-one, back in December of 2016, and nothing is likely to give tomorrow. It’s a tough fight to pick a winner from, that’s for sure.
Today’s weigh-in would not have been complete without some pushing and shoving and some general bad blood, however, and these two rival big men did not let us down. After going backstage, the two had to be separated, with Chisora reportedly squaring up with Whyte’s brother and then, not knowing it was him, pushing his trainer Don Charles “through a wall” (a cardboard wall).
But the difference between this case of pre-fight argy-bargy is the fact that it is in no way intended to merely sell tickets (tomorrow’s rematch has already sold out the 19,000 capacity O2 Arena in London) – it is real. These two men simply do not like each other, and they probably won’t make up after the fight tomorrow, whatever the result.
Chisora raised eyebrows at yesterday’s final presser, when he said that he has to score a KO over Whyte, that he “can’t afford the fight going to the judges, because Eddie Hearn has already bought them.” Never too far from controversy, Chisora is not afraid to speak his mind. But Whyte is vowing a KO himself, simply because he wants to inflict “real damage” on his rival.
Again, this one cannot fail in the raw action stakes.
Prediction: Chisora pulls it out this time, via close unanimous decision. Would this mean we would see a rubber-match!
Dillian Whyte – 246 ½ pounds vs Derek Chisora – 246 ¼ pounds
Cristofer Rosales 111.75 vs. Charlie Edwards 112
Ryan Walsh 139.5 vs. Reece Bellotti 139.25
Joshua Buatsi 174.25 vs. Renold Quinlan 171.5
David Price 253 vs. Tom Little 258
