Derek Chisora set to return in December, but who will he face?
Plus, Eubank-Benn 2 undercard fills out with some recognisable names
You can’t keep a persistent, crowd-pleasing veteran heavyweight down, it would seem, as Derek Chisora continues to pull on the gloves and provide entertainment for the masses.
Quite how much longer he can safely deliver is open to debate. The 41-year-old’s 50-and-out ambition must be stuck to in my opinion, lest he ends up treading the boards like the man he dismissed way back in 2010, Danny Williams.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Chisora took to Instagram to announce his next outing. “Let me tell you something. Are you ready? We are going back to Manchester, 13th of December – road to 50. Book your hotels, book your restaurants, me and Queensberry are coming to shut it down in Manchester 13th of December.
“Opponent will be announced soon. I had one but the big boss took him. Can’t really argue when the big boss says what he wants. Road to 50 in Manchester, shutdown, Last Dance 2 happening in Manchester. War!”
War indeed. While these things are never set in stone, I’ve been told Deontay Wilder will be the opponent on December 13, although such rumours often circulate in advance of the official announcement.
Chisora has been linked with numerous opponents of late, including undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk. Even though Derek gave Usyk a tough introduction to the division in their previous meeting, it wouldn’t be an appealing offering given Usyk’s career time span.
Joseph Parker, a fighter Chisora has already lost to twice, was also mentioned. The New Zealander already has an October date with Fabio Wardley pencilled in.
Aussie cruiserweight Jai Opetaia has also been mentioned as a potential option if he were to move up in weight. Not advisable, in my opinion, with unification business taking precedence at his natural weight class.
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Jack Catterall and Adam Azim lead Stadium undercard
Fresh from his unexpected Philly link-up with ‘Bozy’ Ennis, Jack Catterall looks to regain career momentum when he faces Ekow Essuman. Unless Catterall has turned into ‘Boots’ overnight, Nottingham man Essuman can potentially outwork him down the stretch.
Boxxer standout prospect Adam Azim has earned himself a premium card slot when he welcomes safety-first Russian Zaur Abdullaev up from lightweight. Unbeaten Azim was last seen defeating Sergey Lipinets, while Abdullaev will need more than his passive Interim title showing versus Raymond Muratalla to prevail here.
Further down the card, opportunity knocks once more for Ishmael Davis, who was recently seen losing to Caoimhin Agyarko in Belfast. The Leeds man challenges Sam Gilley.
Richard Riakporhe continues his heavyweight journey against Tommy Welch, son of Scott Welch, an exciting former British champion and world title challenger.
Super-flyweight prospect Mikie Tallon, trained by Joe Gallagher, also features.
Image Credits: Sky Sports, BBC.
About Steve…
Current existence: Online editor at Boxing News Magazine.
Previous lives: Author (8 books), podcaster (500+ eps), scriptwriter for Motivedia channel, newspaper journalist, copywriter & educator.
Contact: stevenwellings1982@gmail.com