It’s a heavyweight rematch and we all love those, don’t we?
Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker with former world heavyweight title contender Derek Chisora.
These two fought in May this year and Derek believes he won the first fight, but he didn’t get the rub of the green, so now they’re doing it all over again.
Of course, the initial fight was scheduled for October 2019 when the Kiwi suffered a spider bite injury.
Chisora would fight Oleksandr Usyk, Parker would fight Shawndell Winters and Junior Fa, and the pair finally met earlier this year.
Things have been a bit more straightforward than last time – you’ll remember Del Boy threatening to pull out of the fight after losing a coin toss which meant he’d have to walk to the ring first, the dispute only being settled on the day of the fight.
Chisora couldn’t have wished for a better start, knocking Parker down just seven seconds into the fight, but he would go on to lose by split decision.
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So for Parker, what has he changed? I gather he’s changed his preparations and his training camp. He’s now moving with Tyson Fury and training with the Gypsy King.
He still has world title aspirations. But if I’m honest, I think he’s performed under-par in most of his fights.
What I mean by that is this guy’s a talented individual, but for one reason or another, he’s just performed under-par, which suggests there’s a lot more to give from Parker, he’s just got to get it right.
You never know, that union with Fury might bring that out of him.
For Chisora, he’s moved to my doorstep, he’s in Rotherham with David Caldwell, he’s also joined Anthony Joshua’s promotional team, so both fighters are getting advice from world champions.
Derek is training really, really hard and I’ve been to see him and how it’s going because he’s moved lock, stock and barrel away from home to dedicate himself for this fight
For both fighters, this is very important; nobody can afford the loss as they’ll be classed as a gatekeeper and a has-been, and they wouldn’t be respected as heavyweight contenders again.
Everyone loves a heavyweight fight, and this is a fight I’m really excited about.
