By Michael Collins: Dereck Chisora (15-2, 9 KO’s) is a huge underdog in next months’ fight against WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (43-2, 40 KO’s) on February 18th, but Chisora sees this as clear win for him over the big 6’7” Vitali. Chisora has spotted some flaws in Vitali’s game that he feels will enable him to wear down and stop the big Ukrainian by the 8th round in their fight at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany.
Chisora, 28, looked ready for battle during Monday’s press conference in London, England, saying “Number eight is my lucky number and Vitali is going down in the 8th round. He just does not know what is coming. I am physically and mentally coming to take what is his and make it mine. I hope you are prepared for that. I have already said to Vitali I hope you don’t chicken out like your little brother [Wladimir Klitschko], just make sure you are there. I just hope you do not come up with excuses, say there is a problem with this or that.”
Chisora has taken issue with Vitali and his brother Wladimir with the way that they don’t take a lot of chances and tend to jab their opponents into submission rather than going after and trying to put on an exciting fight. Chisora has a point, but the Klitschko use their size to work them so that they don’t have to take needless shots. Being 6’6” to 6’7” is a huge advantage for the Klitschko brothers, an advantage that the 6’1 1/2” Chisora doesn’t have on his side. He’s forced to slug with his opponents because he doesn’t have the body to keep from getting hit like the Klitshko brothers do.
Vitali made his own prediction during the same press conference on Monday, saying that he’ll knock Chisora out by the 6th round.
I don’t know that either of these two fighters will be correct in their predictions because both of them have great chins and are hard to hit cleanly. Chisora has a fighting style similar to Joe Frazier and uses constant head movement to keep from taking big shots. His opponents often lighten up on their shots just to make contact with him, and that helps him a lot keep out of danger. Vitali fights tall and likes to lean away from his shorter opponents to keep from getting hit. The only fights where Vitali hit solidly were his bouts against Lennox Lewis and Corrie Sanders.