British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion Derek Chisora has hit back at claims made yesterday by Jarvis Astaire about his right to fight Wladimir Klitschko.
The David Haye-Audley Harrison farce prompted former boxing promoter Astaire – who has not been actively involved in the sport since the late 90s – to question Chisora’s validity to challenge the WBO/IBF World Heavyweight champion
Astaire said: “not only is Chisora a comparative novice, but he is four inches shorter than Wladimir,.”
Chisora, who is currently training at his Fort William camp in Scotland for his December 11th showdown with Klitschko in Germany, said, “This is a stupid argument. It’s not a question of whether I have had enough fights or if I’m tall enough to fight Klitschko, the point is that when I get through the ropes I will get in there and have a fight and throw things that boxers are supposed to throw – punches – something that Harrison didn’t do,”
“Whether I get in there and get smashed up by Klitschko doing it or I get in there and smash him up, I’m fighting for the world heavyweight titles and I’m going to throw punches and fight my heart out.”
“Harrison got through the ropes and threw one useless jab at Haye in three rounds that wouldn’t have kept a mosquito at bay,”
“We are involved in a sport that involves full contact and hurting people. Harrison is not a fighter, he just doesn’t have, and never will have, the heart for a fight or go out on his shield,”
“Astaire says that I’m a novice because I’ve only had 15 fights, yet I’ve won the British and Commonwealth titles in that time; compared to Harrison who had 31 fights before he fought Haye and never even proved himself to be the best in Britain by winning the British title,”
“I’m ranked above Harrison in the British and World rankings and had more of a case to fight Haye than he did.”
Chisora ridiculed Astaire’s second point about his height. The Finchley puncher points to a prime Mike Tyson who beat Frank Bruno in their first fight in 1989 – a fight that Astaire was involved in making.
“And what’s height got to do with it? If that was the case who would have given Mike Tyson, one of the smallest heavyweights ever, a chance against anybody taller than him,”
“Frank Bruno was 6′ 3″and Tyson was 5′ 10″, yet Tyson smashed Bruno to bits, twice,”
“I’m 6′ 2″ and that’s the same height as Lamon Brewster who stopped Klitschko in five rounds in 2004. Did anyone talk about Brewster’s height then?”
“Klitschko is 6′ 6″ so of course he’s going to tower over me, but he’s been dropped plenty of times so he’s vulnerable to my punches when I get inside his,”
“The bottom line is that this fight is a big risk for me, but I’m a fighter and I’m prepared to take that risk to get the reward which is the heavyweight championship of the world.”
“I thought that Harrison was the deluded one, but it looks like Astaire should join him.”