Eddie Hearn looked chocked with emotion after Thursday’s final press conference between fan-favorite Derek Chisora and Kubrat Pulev ahead of their rematch on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.
Hearn hinted during the press conference that journeyman Chisora (32-12, 23 KOs) must stop losing, as he’s not won a fight since 2019, and he’s into what many boxing fans view as his fourth consecutive defeat.
At one point, Chisora reached and hugged a shocked-looking Hearn as if to thank him for all times he’s put him in choice headliner spots.
Hearn looked like he wanted to burst out in sobs, and it’s understandable why. He can’t keep putting Chisora in main event spots because he’s no longer winning.
You can argue that Hearn should have pulled the plug on Chisora as far back as 2020, but he’s continued to schedule him for main events despite his inability to win.
Chisora is the equivalent of a famous baseball player that can no longer hit and is about to be pulled from the starting lineup after years of success. Sadly, Hearn will have to pull Chisora out of the starting lineup soon, but what can he do?
Chisora looked like an old man in his last fight, losing to Joseph Parker by a one-sided 12-round decision last December. Hearn is now matching Chisora against the 41-year-old Pulev (29-2, 14 KOs), and he’s the underdog for that fight.
Most boxing fans view this as a mismatch, and they don’t see any way possible that Chisora can win unless he catches Pulev with one of his looping shots that land behind the head.
“It wasn’t too violent but it was spicy enough to know that it means a lot for both guys,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing Social about Thursday’s final press conference between Chisora and Pulev.
“He’s in a tough spot,” Hearn said about Chisora in terms of his career. “Pulev is a top 15 guy, no one can moan about that. But at the same time, it’s a fourth successive defeat.
“So, I think there’s pressure on him to win this fight. He doesn’t see the pressure because he just loves to fight, but the public, everybody will say eventually.
“Unless you drop down a level and start winning, which he’s not prepared to do, you can’t keep losing these fights.
“It’s a must-win for both. We get through the weigh-in tomorrow night, and I look forward to a great fight on Saturday,” Hearn continued about the Chisora – Pulev rematch.
“He just wants to have great fights for as much money as possible. He’s a prizefighter and loves to entertain the fans. It’s going to be a great atmosphere on Saturday night. There are a lot of people behind him, and hopefully, he can get the victory,” said Hearn.
