THE UNDERCARD
Chisora vs Takam is the best the Whyte-parker undercard has to offer, writes Elliot Worsell
Featuring Chisora vs Takam, Taylor vs Connor, Benn vs Peynaud, and more
FRANCE’S Carlos
Takam has been stewing for the best part of a year now, frustrated with the way he was stopped in the 10th round of a world heavyweight title fight against Anthony Joshua last October. He has lambasted the referee. He has called – quietly, politely – for a rematch. More importantly, however, he has used the attention this flashpoint and his performance received to remain semirelevant in the eyes of British fight fans and wangle another date with a British heavyweight.
On Saturday, at London’s O2 Arena, Takam will box Dereck Chisora, also well-versed in the art of harassing opponents, in a fight both have fancied for some time. A moral victory for Takam, it’s his reward for sticking around and making noise. It’s what, in the end, he probably deserved.
Chisora, meanwhile, having failed to secure a rematch with Dillian Whyte, and then failed to secure a fight with 2016 Olympic silver medallist Joe Joyce, needed a test, a challenge, a payday, something he could sink his teeth into, and Takam, similarly desperate, was, to his relief, only too happy to oblige.
Now gearing up for a crossroads battle, the pair have hit their ceiling – essentially, fallen short at the highest level – and, with Takam at 37, and Chisora at 34, know there won’t be too many chances left if they come unstuck this weekend. The incentive, then, is clear and simple: avoid defeat.
Throughout an 11-year pro career, Chisora, 28-9 (20), has already had plenty of chances. He fought Vitali Klitschko for the WBC heavyweight title in 2012, performing admirably in a loss, and then engaged in big-money domestic showdowns against the likes of David Haye, Tyson Fury (twice) and, more recently, Dillian Whyte.
In these fights, you never quite knew what you’d get with Chisora. When he fancied it, he was a danger, a handful. But when he didn’t, the loss came as no surprise. This applies to the Londoner’s European title fights as well. He looked good against Robert Helenius and Kubrat Pulev, for example, and was perhaps unlucky to fall short, but then seemed unmotivated and past his best in a shot against current champion Agit Kabayel last November.
Ultimately, Chisora’s inconsistent. He’s unpredictable. He’s this way outside the ring, when liable to fly off the handle and cause a ruckus when the mood takes him, and he’s like this on fight night, too, when trying to flourish as a small heavyweight among bigger men.
Takam, on the other hand, though sharing similar disadvantages, insofar as being a six-foot-one heavyweight, has
a cleaner set of skills, is less rowdy, and has a much steadier form line. He, of course, has also suffered major defeats – outpointed by Joseph Parker, stopped by Joshua and Alexander Povetkin – but rarely does he flatter to deceive.
Instead, Takam’s defeats were due to limitations – physical or otherwise – rather than a lack of effort, and his wins, the best of which came in 2014 against Tony Thompson, reveal him to be a quality operator on the second tier of the heavyweight division.
If that’s the case, and if Carlos Takam, 35-4-1 (27), is the type to lose only to the cream of the weight class, he should have enough savvy and technical ability – shown in spurts against Joshua – to stay one step ahead of Dereck Chisora in a 12-round brawl.
Katie Taylor, the WBA and IBF female lightweight champion, aims to make it a perfect ten in her professional career when she puts her titles on the line against Kimberly Connor in London.
Connor, a 37-year-old Texan, has won four of her last five bouts, but it’s two key defeats that highlight her limitations and offer reasons why Taylor, 9-0 (4), should prove too good for her come fight night. In 2011, Connor, 13-3-2 (5), was stopped in two rounds by Amanda Serrano, an IBF super-featherweight champion, and then, in 2017, she was outpointed by Victoria Noelia Bustos, the Argentinean Taylor whitewashed three months ago.
These losses would suggest Connor, though plucky and brave and no doubt determined, will likely find herself out of her depth in the presence of Taylor, a world-class amateur now excelling in the pro ranks, who is already looking at bigger and better fights up ahead. (Taylor is scheduled to fight Cindy Serrano, Amanda’s sister, on October 6 in Chicago.)
Also on the O2 Arena bill, the always-exciting Conor Benn gets the opportunity to clean up last year’s sixround York Hall classic with Cedrick
Peynaud when he rematches the French bogeyman (over 10 rounds) and looks to win more convincingly this time around.
Last December, Benn, 12-0 (9), was dropped twice by Peynaud, and seemingly overwhelmed at times, but did well to rally back and twice knock
down Peynaud, 6-5-3 (4), on his way to a controversial decision. The nature of the verdict, incorrect in the eyes of many, is just one reason to do it again. The fact it was one of the best small hall fights of 2017 is another.
Joshua Buatsi, the talented and tenacious 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, needs a step up, and quickly, but won’t be getting it against Ricky Summers, as originally planned. He will instead fight an opponent still to be decided, hopefully over 10 rounds.
Anthony Fowler, meanwhile, does get a decent test in the form of an eightrounder against fellow undefeated fighter
Craig O’brien from Dublin, Ireland. Fowler, 6-0 (5), would appear to possess too much firepower and pedigree for O’brien, 8-0 (0), but it’s an encouraging and interesting fight nonetheless, and a move in the right direction for the aggressive Liverpudlian.
Finally, what started as a super-welter fight between former world champion Kell Brook and Canadian Brandon Cook turned into a super-welter fight between Brandon Cook and Sam Eggington and then, on Monday ( July 23), became a British heavyweight title eliminator between Nick Webb, 12-0 (10), and
Dave Allen, 13-4-2 (10).
THE VERDICT A heavyweight main event is backed up by a heavyweight co-feature.