By James Slater – Despite what you may have read, in some of the newspapers and on some of the boxing web sites, Derek Chisora, the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion, has NOT yet signed or agreed to fight heavyweight world champ Wladimir Klitschko.
Steve Bunce, on his weekly radio show, said yesterday that while the fight may happen, and that while both parties involved (Frank Warren and Bernd Boente) are coming very close to making the fight, it is not yet a done deal. Bunce, who spoke with “Del Boy” on Wednesday, said he expects an announcement to be made, one way or the other, in the next four or five days..
So, if “Dr. Steel Hammer” doesn’t fight the 14-fight “novice” – as critics of the possible fight are labelling Chicora – who will he fight on December 11th?
According to that other guy with all or most of the breaking news, Dan Rafael, Wladimir is still in the hunt for a Dec.11th opponent, and that Chisora and Alexander Dimitrenko are the two leading candidates to land the big fight. Boente also told ESPN.com that if terms cannot be reached with either of those two contenders, former WBC and WBA cruiserweight champ Jean Marc Mormeck is “back in the picture.”
James Toney was briefly considered as the December challenger, according to various reports, but one of the sanctioning bodies decided he had been out of the ring too long (last September, against Michael Greer, was the last time “Lights Out” set foot in a boxing ring). And with Tomasz Adamek, Odlanier Solis and David Haye busy, and with David Tua apparently not interested, it does look like it will be either Chisora, Dimitrenko or Mormeck next for Wladimir.
Of these three options, I personally would be most excited about 26-year-old Chisora landing the bout. Of course the opportunity would be far too quick for him (as many people have pointed out), but Chisora would certainly come to fight and fight hard, not just pick up a pay cheque. Could you predict this same attitude on the part of Mormeck (who, last time we heard, had priced himself out of the December fight) or Dimitrenko (who, in his biggest fight to date, was taken apart by Eddie Chambers)? Or would both men show up simply for the purpose of improving their bank balance?
Maybe the fight, if it happens, would be nothing but a slow and steady beating, with the promising Chisora on the end of it. Or maybe the confident, skilled and hungry world title contender would rise to the occasion and score the upset of the year?
Chisora and Warren are still weighing up all the details regarding the fight they have been offered, and when they make a final decision we will be informed via a press release. Is the fight too big a risk and potentially harmful to Chisora’s future, or is the gamble one worth taking?