When pointing out Oleksandr Usyk’s toughest fight at heavyweight, or maybe even his toughest pro fight period, a good many people refer to the points win Usyk scored over Derek Chisora back in October of 2020.
This was former four-belt cruiserweight ruler Usyk’s second fight as a heavyweight, and as such he was still adapting to the heavier weight. Nevertheless, old warhorse Chisora succeeded in pushing Usyk hard, in making him look nothing too special. Chisora was able to make Usyk work hard all the way.
Frank Warren spoke about this fight at yesterday’s presser, saying how in his opinion, “there was nothing in the fight for around eight rounds.” Some people, David Haye for one (who may have been guilty of being biased as he was working with his former opponent Chisora at the time of the Usyk fight), said the fight was a draw.
The official scores from the Usyk-Chisora fight were 115-113, 115-113, and 117-112, all for Usyk. It is quite amazing when we think about it, but Chisora may well have given Usyk a tougher time of things that night in 2020 than Anthony Joshua managed in two tries at besting Usyk.
And now, Don Charles, who used to train Chisora and was in his corner for the Usyk fight, and now trains Daniel Dubois, has said that “a hundred million percent” a prime Derek Chisora beats Usyk. Speaking with Seconds Out, Charles was firm – “Capital Y E S,” he said when asked if a peak Chisora would have been too much for Usyk.
“And I’ve got, with Daniel Dubois, a more refined Chisora,” Charles said. “So, when you put all the scores together, on where Usyk scores and on where Daniel scores, I’ve done all my sums, and we score a lot higher [than Usyk]. We cancel out a lot of his advantages.”
The way Chisora pushed Usyk was by literally pushing him, physically, and by making him work, making him feel the pace in what was just his second heavyweight fight. If Dubois can fight hard for all 12 rounds, if he has the engine to do so, he may well be able to give Usyk a way tougher time of things than so many people seem to feel will be the case.
Usyk isn’t the biggest heavyweight, and we all know Dubois can punch. But can Dubois show the kind of grizzled resilience Chisora showed when he rumbled with Usyk? Will Dubois’ chin hold up to Usyk’s best shots if the defending WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champ lands them on the night?
No doubt, Charles will have had Dubois watch tape of the Usyk-Chisora fight, with the trainer pointing to the things Chisora was able to do that night. But is Dubois as good as Chisora? Is Dubois really a “refined Chisora?”
It’s certainly interesting what Don Charles has said. Would a prime Chisora, the man who pushed Vitali Klitschko all the way, have beaten Usyk?