KNOCKOUT! ...that the Premier League is back and the rest of us can now follow
DERECK CHISORA insists that news the Premier League resumes next month has given every sportsman in the land a “massive” boost.
The British heavyweight star, whose fight with Oleksandr Usyk is still to be rescheduled following the pandemic lockdown, is adamant that with England’s football elite kicking off again on June 17 he can now see a brighter future for all sport.
As Chisora explained, knowing the Premier League is on the way back is the perfect tonic after three months of desperate uncertainty during isolation.
Football leads the way – and everything else follows – is the gist of the Manchester United fan’s message regarding the influence of the Beautiful Game.
Chisora is considering a first foray into the world of UFC in preparation for the postponed Usyk clash.
And he said: “Yes, we need the Premier League back – badly.
“The time without it has not been great, but now football is coming back and it means sport is coming back – that’s an amazing feeling.
“I remember in March when the Premier League decided to stop, everything just went into lockdown – even before the Government told us to.
Huge
“That’s how huge the game is in this country – and for all sport.
“It’s absolutely massive to know it will be on again in two weeks.”
Chisora reckons he has handled a potentially testing situation in isolation pretty well. Certainly, a lot better than he might have coped a few years ago when he accepts that retaining motivation would have been a real struggle.
Instead it has been the complete reverse – and Chisora says much of that is down to the input of his manager and former world heavyweight champion David Haye.
Chisora said: “If I was younger, lockdown would have been far more difficult.
“Young fighters want to train and then fight. If they don’t have a target date, they lose focus. It also needs good management. David’s been superb. We set up 45-minute daily routines, specific to my needs, at the start and I’ve stuck to them rigidly.
“I’m in good shape and ready to return to the ring when I get a new date for Usyk.”
At 36, Chisora could have been forgiven for worrying he was losing valuable time in the twilight of his career.
But, further confounding his public image of being a loose cannon outside the ring, he has taken the enforced break in remarkably relaxed fashion.
Chilled
“I wasn’t upset last weekend when I should have been fighting Usyk,” added Chisora. “I was pretty chilled.
“I can’t do anything about what’s happening. I’m born-again and believe there’s a reason for everything.
“There have been some very sad things happening in this period, but also some positives – like the cleaner environment outside. The air is so fresh.
“I suppose my calm approach comes from being a father to two girls. That changes you.”