‘The boy hasn’t got much heart’

Chisora questions Parker’s fortitude

Dereck Chisora has questioned Joseph Parker’s fortitude ahead of their heavyweight clash in Britain next weekend.

Chisora and former WBO champion Parker finally get to settle their differences on May 2 in a feud that has been running for a couple of years.

The experienced fighters have both brought in new trainers to freshen their games for a fight that will shape the future of the winner and quite possibly end any big hopes for the loser.

The outspoken Chisora cheekily suggested Parker might have been better hiring a heart surgeon than Andy Lee, the former WBO cruiserweight champion and cousin of Tyson Fury, who is now the Kiwi’s coach.

‘‘We will see what happens. I’m hoping that he [Lee] gives him a new heart because the boy hasn’t got much heart,’’ Chisora told Stuff.

Lee schooled his training at the famous Kronk gym in the United States, an outfit known for an aggressive style. That’s a quality that Parker hasn’t always shown, and Chisora is unsure whether it can be instilled at such short notice, with Lee and Parker only working together for a few weeks leading into this bout.

‘‘I don’t know. I hope so, it’s a fighting game we are in, not a running game, so I hope he brings it [aggression], but I feel like he is going to be running away,’’ Chisora said.

It’s a harsh assessment by Chisora with Parker having never been knocked out, often willing to go toe-to-toe, and regularly securing wins by dominating the late rounds of his fights in shaping a 28-2 record.

Chisora, doing his best to imitate a grumpy bear, predictably had nothing positive to say about Parker who has struggled to regain momentum with his career after suffering double losses in Britain in 2018 to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.

‘‘His last fight [a points win over Junior Fa] was not a great fight, it was all over the place, not much was going on in there,’’ Chisora said. ‘‘The fights he has had in America . . . he hasn’t been proven or pushing the limit basically.’’

Chisora is promising his usual aggression under new American coach Buddy McGirt, and sees only one way he can win.

‘‘We are looking for a knockout, we’re not looking for anything else. Every time I go to the judges, I never get it.’’

The 37-year-old says his motivation now is to keep relevant by headlining pay-per-view promotions rather than chasing world titles, something he believes a win over Parker can achieve.

‘‘The title game is too hard. The titles are tied up for the next two years ... Fury v AJ and there’s

Deontay Wilder there waiting.’’

Chisora, in the professional game since 2007, isn’t comfortable with the direction the sport has taken in a new world dominated by social media impact. You sense his frustration at internet personalities such as Jake Paul coming in and hijacking the scene.

‘‘It’s what you bring to the table for downloads and how many payper-views you can get,’’ he lamented. ‘‘For an up and coming heavyweight, it’s difficult to break into that scene. You have to take a pay cut.

‘‘The YouTubers are killing it for us right now. People who have never boxed before, never worked hard in boxing, and they are starting to come in and people forget about the real boxers. It is what it is.’’