IT’s best to take whatever Dereck Chisora says with a pinch of salt, for he’s known to act up on occasion, but, according to the Finchley heavyweight, a December 22 rematch with Dillian Whyte could be signed and sealed – or at least agreed – by the end of the week.
The all-action brawlers went toe-to-toe back in December 2016, in what was one of the best fights of the year, and since then, to the annoyance of fans, they have been kept apart. In the intervening 22 months, Chisora lost a European heavyweight title fight against Agit Kabayel, before coming from behind to knock out Carlos Takam in July of this year, while Whyte has beaten Robert Helenius, Lucas Browne and Joseph Parker.
It’s Whyte vs. Chisora II, though, that many have been waiting to see again, and the first fight, won by Whyte via split-decision, more than warranted a re-run.
“Yeah, we’re going to try to do the fight this week,” Chisora told Sky Sports.
“We’ll see what happens, but we definitely want to make the fight for December 22.
“We haven’t started [talks], but I believe by the end of this weekend [it will be done], or we’ll have done it by Friday.”
Chisora’s claim comes as a bit of a surprise, not least because Whyte was earlier this week linked to a WBC final eliminator fight against the awkward Cuban Luis Ortiz.
“I’m going to smash him,” said Chisora. “No one wants to see that [Whyte-Ortiz], so I don’t know why he’s talking about Luis Ortiz. I’m the Money Man.”
The key question, I suppose, is this: will the so-called ‘Money Man’ ask for too much money to share a ring with Dillian Whyte? If so, this one might not be as close to completion as we’re led to believe.
Whether by choice or circumstance, legendary promoter Bob Arum says he will have nothing to do with a mooted 2019 rematch between boxing superstars Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
The Top Rank head honcho, long associated with Pacquiao, was a key player in the promotion of the first fight, back in May 2015, but apparently has zero interest in joining the circus for a second tour.
“I don’t want any part of it,” he told TMZ Sports. “They’re past their prime. It’ll do good at the box office. It’ll make money, which is fine. But they’re not elite fighters anymore.
“It’s a money grab. Business is business. It’s good money for each of them. You can’t begrudge them. But they’re not elite anymore.”
Arum’s deal with Pacquiao has now expired, by all accounts, which means two things: he’s a free agent and therefore free to roam, and Arum, his former promoter, is probably going to be left out in the MayPac 2 cold whether he likes it or not.
The pair’s last fight, lest we forget, is the best-selling combat sports pay-per-view of all time, having accumulated 4.6 million buys in America alone. With the prospect of earning that sort of money from a rehash, few, you’d suspect, would turn down the chance to get involved if it was an option.
