By Lewis Croft: Arriving at a London press conference in a three wheeled Reliant Robin like his character namesake Delboy, from British sitcom Only Fools and Horses, Dereck ‘Del Boy’ Chisora announced to the world that in round 8, inside the Olympiahalle he would dethrone WBC champion Vitali Klitschko. It was no surprise to see both fighters in great shape Vitali Klitschko (17st 6lbs) and Dereck Chisora (17st 3lbs) but the weigh in itself was overshadowed by the events that occurred during the stare down.
The stare down is the last time the fighters come face to face prior to stepping inside the squared circle. The last time a fighter can play mind games and get inside their opponents head, a chance to see if fear has manifested itself within. The size difference was there for all to see but Chisora, wearing the Union Jack around his neck seemingly showed no fear. The enigmatic ‘DelBoy’ then unleashed a slap to the champion that was heard all around the world. Social Networking, TV broadcasters and boxing forums alike were going overtime and the impact of the ‘slap’ was on the tip of everyone’s tongue. The animated Chisora announced to the press that he is here to fight and not play games.
The drama continued prior to the bout over the issue of hand wrapping. The representative from the Klitschko camp sent into the dressing room was none other than Vitali’s brother, Wladimir. The apparent issue was in regards to the way Dean Powell wrapped Chisora’s hands. Wladimir claimed placing a layer of tape over the skin of the hand prior to the bandages being applied alongside further tape after the bandages on top is against the rules of boxing. The confusing matter so close to the beginning of the fight, Box Nation claimed that Chisora threatened to pull out of the bout if his hands were not wrapped in his normal way.
Getting in to the face of Vitali after he entered the ring to spitting water into the face of Wladimir after the anthems, Chisora was giving no let up to his attempted bullying tactics. Many people never thought Chisora would hear the final bell, but too many peoples surprise and maybe after his antics pre fight to many peoples disappointment Vitali could not stop the come forward Brit.
Klitschko never dominated with his jab as much as many would have thought. Chisora the huge underdog coming into the fight kept moving forward with his cross armed guard and head movement, in attempt to recreate the style used by Joe Frazier. The awkward style of Vitali with his hands low and throwing shots from angles kept catching Chisora on the way inside. A targeted assault to the body was made by Chisora throughout the fight and some good shots landed, with visible reddening to the ribs as the fight progressed.
Many times Chisora got inside the jab of Vitali and worked best when throwing a jab on the way in to make Vitali guess what was coming next. When the jab was abandoned, lunging hooks and right hands were thrown but the experience of Vitali who tried to stay on the outside was catching him with the more eye catching shots. The further the fight went on, the more it looked like Vitali was tiring. Maybe the body shots caused it or simply the workrate of Chisora was higher than previous opponents. Maybe ‘father time’ is catching up on him?
Whether you like Chisora or not with his pre-fight antics, many of which was all in the promotion of the fight. He said he would come to fight tonight and he did not disappoint. He stood toe to toe with Vitali and never ran, something which many thought would be his downfall. With the judges scoring the bout 118-110, 119-111, 119-111 it was evident he was indeed out boxed but not outclassed as many would have thought. Chisora gave a good account of himself inside the ring but the way he acted outside the ring is up for debate. One thing for sure is that the heavyweight division has not seen the end of ‘Del Boy’
Also on the bill was former British and Commonwealth Featherweight Champion Stephen Smith. On the back of his 8th round defeat at the hands of Lee Selby last time out, Stephen Smith blasted out Arpad Vass inside the first round landing some good body shots in the process. Interestingly, his older brother Paul Smith was commentating on behalf of British Broadcaster, Box Nation and could be seen at ringside beaming with joy.