The IBF plans on ordering a fight between heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois and 41-year-old British journeyman Derek Chisora. It’s a fight that could happen next unless Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs).
The Dubois vs. Chisora abomination will put fans outside of the UK, but British fans will love this one. Tickets need to be sold at half price or for free for this kind of mismatch because it’s not even slightly sporting to have a fight of this kind. I wonder what Dubois feels about this fight.
Mandatory Madness
They’re into Chisora and don’t mind that he loses every time he steps up against true world-class opposition. Derek has been able to work his way into a title shot by beating these old veterans:
– Otto Wallin: 34
– Gerald Washington: 42
– Joe Joyce: 39
Chisora (36-13, 23 KOs) captured the mandatory spot last month, defeating Otto Wallin by a 12-round unanimous decision on February 8th in an IBF title eliminator. It was a bizarre fight for the IBF title make as a title eliminator, as neither of these guys rate to be fighting in such a contest, as they’re aging fighters with very little ability.
Given how bad Chisora looked in his win over Wallin, Dubois will knock him out in the first round. That’ll make UK fans angry for having wasted their money watching the fight, but what to they expect? Chisora has been over-the-hill since 2020, and he was the gatekeeper from the get-go.
Now, he’s a journeyman, and an old one at that. His management has maneuvered him into fights to get him to this cusp of fighting for a world title. It’s not good for the sport to have mismatches like this. This is just a sign that the IBF needs to get its act together and start being more discerning about the kind of fighters they pick for title eliminators. They should have outright rejected the Chisora vs. Wallin fight as a title eliminator. Chisora isn’t worthy of a top 15 ranking, nor is Wallin.
