By Charles White: Silence, that is all that is coming from Team Chisora as the unofficial deadline of agreement for a clash between Derek and Wladimir Klitschko passed by this past Saturday. As most know by now, heavyweight contender Derek Chisora was offered a December 11th fight with Klitschko last week. A big opportunity indeed for the up and coming British fighter, but perhaps an ill-advised fight for him at this point in his career as well? With only 14 professional fights under his belt, and having never gone past 9 rounds in his career thus far, many would say that Chisora simply isn’t ready for a shot at the heavyweight title just yet. It would seem as though Derek’s promoter, Frank Warren, himself would like to see Chisora have at least one more fight before taking on Wladimir, as Warren has stated that they would consider the offer and that he would prefer Chisora to fight Nikolay Valuev, a fight Warren has been trying to get for Derek for a while now.
Reliable sources are reporting that Frank Warren originally turned down the offer to fight Klitschko. Now we are hearing that they are “considering” the offer at hand. The question that many are wondering is “what is taking so long to answer?” Either Chisora is ready to fight Wladimir, or he isn’t. Going from flat out turning down a fight to “considering” it seems a bit odd at first, and makes one consider the possibility that perhaps Team Chisora is holding out for more money for this clash. Meanwhile, there are other opponents being considered who have come out and said that they were willing to take the fight. It makes sense for Chisora to pursue more fights and gain more experience before leaping into deep waters against a champ like Wladimir. At this point in his career, it would seem unwise for Derek to take the fight now, when he can bide his time, taking progressive steps upward, honing his craft against better quality opposition until he is fully prepared. This will give him his best chances of success. Until then, the clock is ticking, decision time is now, and there are other challengers waiting in the wings to take his place.
For questions and comments, to schedule an interview, or to just chat about boxing, Charles White can be reached at cwhite1078@mysvc.skagit.edu or 360-333-5911.