Don't Write Off Derek Chisora
Published October 13, 2010 by Boxing Capital
An experienced young boxer, around 15 or 16 years of age, trains at this local club. A new member walks in the door, who the young boxer (and other club members) can’t help but notice. Whilst the new member is of a similar age to the young boxer, their size couldn’t be more different. The new member exudes confidence as he walks in the door of the gym, his obviously heavyweight frame not affecting the smoothness of his swagger. Sneering glances are shot at the new member from all the existing boxers, so much so you can almost hear what they are all thinking….‘this guy doesn’t have a clue of what he’s walking into here’ and ‘we won’t see him here for long when the hard work starts’.
Blessed with the confidence of his cocky street attitude, the new member struts confidently around the changing rooms, claiming he ‘runs’ the local town. That he is a ‘face’ not to be messed with. The experienced young boxer laughs and tell the new member that he’s lived in the local town all his life and has never even seen or heard of him – the changing room full of boxers can barely hide their sniggers at this, even feeling some sympathy for the seemingly deluded new member that his ‘street cred’ will carry any weight in the boxing gym.
But, despite reality check experienced by the new member and the alien nature of the hard work to get himself into fighting shape, the new member does keep coming back to the gym. Whilst the new member is perhaps not gifted with a rare god given natural talent, he works hard to ensure that he makes the most of the qualities that he has in the ring; decent hand speed, solid power, a lot of heart. He’s extremely raw in terms of ability but he’s extraordinarily hungry for success. Tough sparring sessions see the new member’s skills improve, smoothening the rough edges. He soon earns respect in the gym. The experienced young boxer is impressed and despite changing boxing clubs, he keeps track of the new member’s progress from a distance.
A couple of short years later and the young boxer watches as the new member impressively reaches the heights of British Amateur Boxing by winning the Heavyweight ABA (Amateur Boxing Association) Title, clearly defeating all opponents in front of him. The young boxer is astounded. Whilst the new member managed to earn respect in the gym, thoughts that he could reach such heights seemed ludicrous.
Yet the new member’s ascent continues as he turns professional. The new member remains unbeaten and wins the British Heavyweight Title, beating a former Mike Tyson conqueror along the way. This is followed by adding the Commonwealth Title in a victory over another rising British Heavyweight on the biggest British boxing show in recent years. The young boxer continues to be astounded by the new member’s progress, but can only watch in admiration, cheering him on from afar. The latest victory catapults the new member to the upper echelons of boxing – a shot at the unified World Heavyweight Title.
Sound unbelievable? I can understand that. It sounds like a shortened version of a Rocky movie, minus the excruciating action sequences. But, the story is 100% true and verifiable. This is the true story of Finchley, North London’s Derek Chisora. The 14-0 Heavyweight boxer who has been catapulted into a World Title shot on 11th December 2010 against the Ukrainian Giant, Wladimir Klitschko.
Despite the fight only being made official in the past 24 hours, critics have already rounded on Chisora, claiming he’s not ready for this fight, that a sustained beating could end his top level career for good, that he should gain more experience before stepping into the lion’s den. The young boxer’s story of the new members perseverance should serve as a warning not to write Chisora off, that whilst success may appear a long shot, Chisora does have a chance. A small chance, yes, but if the young boxer had been told Chisora would get this far when he first walked into the gym 10 years ago, he wouldn’t have been able to stop laughing for days.
Chisora is undoubtedly the underdog here as he is fighting an accomplished and experienced World Champion, on his adopted home turf in Germany. The crowd will be against him, the difficulty of winning a points decision as a visiting boxer in Germany will be against him. But, write Chisora off at your peril. Even if you consider that he has only a one percent chance of winning this fight, you can be certain he will do all he can to maximize that one percent when he’s in the ring with Klitschko.
Oh and the experienced young boxer that traded insults with him all those years ago? That was me.
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