Chisora is looking past Parker
Dereck Chisora appears ready to move on from a proposed showdown with Kiwi heavyweight Joseph Parker as his team chase a potential WBO title tilt against Oleksandr Usyk next year.
The British slugger was scheduled to face Parker in London last month but the New Zealander pulled out because of illness following a suspected spider bite.
Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) went on to demolish late replacement David Price inside four rounds and immediately called out former WBO world champion Parker after the fight, much to the Kiwi’s delight.
But Chisora’s manager David Haye now seems keen to put the Parker fight on the backburner as he revealed to Sky Sports in the UK that unbeaten Ukrainian star Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) was ‘‘interested’’ in fighting his man should the WBO title become vacant.
Former cruiserweight king Usyk is the WBO’s mandatory for the winner of next month’s rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr, in which the the IBF and WBA belts will also be on the line in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
The winner of that highly anticipated clash will have Usyk and Kubrat Pulev as mandatory challengers, so may be forced to vacate one of their belts. Haye believes Joshua and Ruiz will be keen to avoid the skilful Usyk and may vacate the WBO crown, with Chisora a likely opponent for the 2012 London Olympic gold medallist.
Haye told Sky Sports that ‘‘Usyk’s people have been in contact with [Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn] to say they are interested’’.
‘‘The WBO have a convention in Tokyo where I will lobby them. The WBO want exciting fighters, and it makes sense for them to sanction Usyk v Chisora.’’
Fellow Brit Tyson Fury is currently No 2 in the WBO rankings, behind Usyk, but given that he is targeting a rematch with WBC champion Deontay Wilder, a shot at their title could become available.
‘‘My gut says the WBO [will be vacated] because Usyk is a tricky customer,’’ Haye told Sky Sports. ‘‘I believe Joshua will go the Pulev route, a bigger guy who will stand and fight, rather than the Usyk route.’’
The news that Chisora plans to pursue Usyk will come as a blow to Parker’s team, who had hoped to reschedule the cancelled fight for February.
Parker is one fight into a threefight deal with Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and is desperate to get back in the world title mix.
The Aucklander has fought only once this year, stopping tough Samoan-Australian veteran Alex Leapai in the 10th round back in June.