By Mark Eisner: Derek Chisora goes to war tonight against Kubrat Pulev in their 12-round rematch in the main event on DAZN at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Chisora (32-12, 23 KOs) is attempting to keep his gig as a headliner/entertainer going a little while longer, but he absolutely needs a win tonight against Pulev after losing his last three contests.
Boxing News 24 will be giving live updates & results below of tonight’s Chisora vs. Pulev 2 card.
Pulev (29-2, 14 KOs) is the favorite going into tonight’s contest, as he already beat Chisora by a 12 split decision in 2016, and is fighting on a higher level despite being 41 years old.
In the chief support bout, undefeated junior middleweight contender Israil Madrimov (8-0, 6 KO) fights Michel Soro (35-3-1, 24 KO) in a 12-round rematch in a WBA 154-lb eliminator. The winner will be the mandatory challenger to undisputed champion Jermell Charlo.
Chisora-Pulev II undercard:
Fabio Wardley vs. Kingsley Ibeh
Solomon Dacres vs. Kevin Nicolas Espindola
Yousuf Ibrahim (vs. Francisco Rodriguez
Israil Madrimov vs. Michel Soro
Ramla Ali vs. Agustina Rojas
Felix Cash vs. Vaughn Alexander
Caoimhin Agyarko vs. Lukasz Maciec
Pulev did an excellent job of outboxing Chisora the last time they fought, and there’s no indication that tonight’s rematch will be any different. Chisora’s style of fighting, which is a poor man’s version of Joe Frazier, is ideal for Pulev to land his jabs and right hands.
“He’s made of different stuff. Genetically, we’re very different,” said David Haye to DAZN Boxing about Chisora. “He’s a tank that just keeps marching forward.
“He’s just robust, and he knows his strengths. Chisora just knows, ‘I’m going to keep marching forward and every round, you might win the first, second and third, but in the fourth, I’m going to keep churning and you’re going to start flagging.
“‘When you start flagging, I’m going to start landing more shots. The more shots I land, the more tired you get. Now we’re even. Who wants to fight with no energy now?’
“Derek can fight on empty when he’s completely exhausted . When he finishes rounds completely & utterly exhausted, he sits down, gets up, and is ready to go again. Not many people have his powers of recovery.
“His presence is like no other that I’ve fought before. He’s tightened up all those gaps in his arsenal that were there in the past,” said Haye about Chisora.
“He’s a lot more well-rounded now than he was back then. He’s older, a lot more miles on the clock, a few more losses and he’s a much better fighter now [than in 2012].
“I’d much prefer to fight the 28-year-old Chisora than the 37-year-old Chisora.
