Derek Chisora is in an interesting spot with a couple of potentially attractive options, both relevant fights in the heavyweight division, both worth money.
One of those options is Joseph Parker, whom Chisora was scheduled to fight in October before Parker pulled out of the fight due to the effects of a spider bite. Parker and his team still want the fight, but Oleksandr Usyk has entered the fray, too, and that might be the bigger fight and opportunity.
But Parker’s manager David Higgins thinks it would just be Chisora chasing the money and admitting he’s out of the race:
“Stop running away, trying to take another option because you think there might be a little bit more money. Chisora would probably lose to Usyk. He might make a little bit more money, but that’s like a retirement fight. When you take a fight you know you’re going to lose, for a bit more money, you’re basically saying ‘I’m retiring.’
“My message is — if Chisora and (manager David) Haye choose to go with Usyk, they are putting up a white flag. Chisora is saying ‘I’m finished with boxing and I just want to take the money.’ But if Chisora is serious, he’ll deliver what he’s been crowing about. He’ll fight Parker. He says he can beat Parker, then he can fight Usyk anyway.”
Higgins may well have a point, but I mean, Chisora (32-9, 23 KO) is 35 years old and has a pretty established level at this point. So, like, yes, he’s chasing money. That doesn’t mean he won’t give his best effort in a given fight, but yeah, he wants to make as much as he can at this point. It’s not going to last forever.
Parker (26-2, 20 KO) was a nice money fight for Chisora. Still is. And yeah, it’s a chance where, if he wins, Chisora can maybe even manage to grab another title fight at some point. Usyk (17-0, 13 KO) may be a bigger money fight, though, and with the same opportunity — except that a win over Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion who is currently the WBO heavyweight mandatory challenger, would be even bigger.
You can’t blame Parker and Higgins for angling hard to keep the lead over Usyk here, of course. Higgins is doing his job trying to get Parker a big (and winnable) fight. This may be a losing battle, though.
Source: MMAfighting.com
