Via Adam Baskin: Eddie Hearn says Derek Chisora can turn Saturday night’s win over Kubrat Pulev into a “The Great War” later this year.
Matchroom Hearn’s guru didn’t say what kind of opponent would turn into a “big fight” for entertainer-style heavyweight Chisora (32-12, 23 KOs). However, it is not unreasonable to assume that it could be one of these top fighters:
- Deontay Wilder
- Andy Ruiz Jr
- Luis Ortiz
- Joe Joyce
- Dillian Whyte
- Hughie Fury
- Filip Hrgovic
With Matchroom Boxing’s deep pockets, they could pit most of those boxers against silver-haired 38-year-old veteran Chisora later this year if the price is right, but it all starts on Thursday night. Seven with ‘War’ in his rematch with Pulev.
Chisora will march into the ring Saturday night as the underdog against 41-year-old Pulev (29-2, 14 KOs) in their scheduled 12-round bout on DAZN at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Six years ago, Chisora was defeated by Bulgarian 6’5″ Pulev, losing 12 decisive rounds in a match Derek was lucky to win by one round.
The referees who worked on that fight were too generous to give the rounds to Chisora because he didn’t win any rounds in the true sense of the word.
“If he wins, I think he’s going to have a really big fight at the end of it,” said Eddie Hearn iFL TV about what Chisora could achieve if he beat Pulev on Saturday night.
“If you look at the level he is losing. Tyson Fury twice, Oleksandr Usyk, Vitali Klitschko, Joseph Parker, robbed before Robert Helenius, fought Kubrat Pulev, lost to Dillian Whyte in two fights,” Hearn said of Chisora.
“Obviously he performed very well in the second game before being gored. So it’s harsh to say that this guy isn’t a quality heavyweight.
“He’s better than 99% of the heavyweights out there, but unfortunately he keeps fighting the one per cent, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I think the moment you see the retrograde from Chisora in the ring, especially in camp, it’s time to walk. But for now, I feel like he’s putting on a good performance, and this will be a point worth mentioning because it’s a tough fight.
“Kubrat Pulev prepares for that, they’re pretty confident going into the fight, but again, he’s fighting a top 15 heavyweight. So he could lose,” Hearn said of 38-year-old Chisora.
“Four consecutive failures It’s never good for anyone, and neither is there two. But again, the harsh reality is that sometimes Chisora isn’t as good as the people he’s fighting.
“That’s as long as I can give it to you on a layman’s terms, but he just wants a big fight. He loves fighting, he loves fighting at the O2, he’s entertaining, he’s great to watch and I believe you’ll see another entertaining game over the weekend,” Hearn said.
