Season two of the world boxing series lights up the O2 on Saturday with two of boxings newest youngest and most exciting champions going head to head in a unification. Prograis and Taylor are both phenomenal boxers but not yet household names, so how do you get this show to sell out one of the biggest arenas in the county? With the old guard of Heavyweight war-horses, that’s how. Derek Chisora and David Price are two of the biggest names in British boxing and due to Joseph Parker’s mysterious spider bite injury, they will go toe to two in London on Saturday night. Both men are seasoned heavyweight campaigners and together they have knocked out 42 men and been knocked out 9 times, so one thing is absolutely certain… Someone is going to sleep.
Before these behemoths clash in the ring together I will look at the styles, attributes, and strategies that they will need to vanquish each other and get another shot at the top of boxing’s flagship division. Welcome back to Tale of the Tape…
The Favourite: Derek Chisora
Age: 35
Height: 6″2 (188cm)
Weight: 257lbs (18 Stone 5)
Reach: 74 inch (188cm)
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 40-9 (22 KO’s)
Best Attribute: Del Boy is one of the most experienced campaigners in the heavyweight division and he has seen every style from the best practitioners of that style. He has done 22 rounds with Tyson Fury and his tall awkward back foot style. He has done 24 rounds with the upright jab and grabs pressure heavy eastern European styles of Vitali Klitschko and Kubrat Puvel and finally, he has done 23 rounds with the brutal head-on warring style of Dillian Whyte. I think it is this experience that will give the man who calls himself ‘War’ the best chance of winning. He has seen all of these styles and has had varying degrees of success but ultimately he will know how to deal with whichever style David Price brings, whether he comes to stand and trade or box off the back foot I think it is imperative Del has an answer for this. The fact he is ‘training himself’ for this fight rather than using the immensely learned Dave Coldwell again makes me think he could struggle with this but ultimately he has boxed the rounds to be able to adapt. He is also blessed with a very tough chin and has only been stopped three times in 50 fights, an attribute that will also
Key to Victory: The weaknesses of David Price are all too well documented and boil down too; “bad gas tank, band chin”. Although I personally these problems are far more complex but it is these that will form the fundamental building blocks from which Chisora will build a game plan aimed at wearing down and outlasting David price. In this, an extremely old school British heavyweight fight that harkens back to the days of Cooper and London, I believe it is an old school boxing adage that will be the key for Chisora. “Chop down the body and the head will fall”. I think that the fighters Price has beaten in recent times, Allen, Little et al have looked too heavily at his perceived weak chin and neglected the body. If Del can effectively hurt Price with effective body punching I believe it will sap his energy sufficiently to expose his chin for one of Derek’s crushing right hands.
The Underdog: David Price
Age: 36
Height: 6″8(203cm)
Weight: 258lbs (18 Stone 5)
Reach: 82inch (208cm)
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 25-6 (20 KO’s)
Best Attribute: Even from his early days as an amateur David Price’s best attribute has been no secret, it is his preeminent punching power. However, to score the KO he will have to carry his excellent shot selection over from the Allen fight into this fight in order to deliver his power effectively. Against Allen a man of similar dimensions to Chisora Price was reserved so as not to gas out and selected a perfect ratio of telephone pole jabs, whipping left hooks and chopping right hands to force a man renowned for having a chin like a breezeblock pull himself out on his stool after a particularly vicious onslaught. I think the most important of these weapons will prove to be the Left Hook. It is an area of immense strength for Price and weakness for Chisora, with Price using it to knock out numerous opponents but most famously wobble current top contender Alexander Povetkin a standing eight count, something rare in professional boxing. Also of Chisora’s 3 stoppage losses only two where straight KO’s and both came from crisp left hooks, one to David Haye and one to Dillian Whyte. This is a clear area for Price to target as he looks to knock out Chisora.
Key To Victory: The key to a Price victory is which David Price enters the ring. The Price that fought John McDermott and Audley Harrison, the Price that outpointed a rising Tyson fury in the amateur ranks and even the Price that won every second against Dave Allen will beat Derek Chisora. The Price that fought Povetkin, Thompson, Hammer, and Teper will get knocked out cold by Derek Chisora. The key is Mentality. David Price must enter the ring this Saturday night supremely relaxed, calm and confident in his ability to last the 12 rounds. He needs to enter without fear, without a sense of pressure to win or not to lose, he needs to walk in like he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Like a wolf shunned from the pack, it has be to kill or be killed for Pricey come Saturday night. I think Chisoras braggadocio and threats at the press conference will fuel this mentality and Price’s in camp media Blackout will also help. Ultimately however it will depend on who’s looking back at David Price when he looks into the dressing room mirror on Saturday night. Is it Pricey, the big truck, the knockout machine, the man Frank Maloney said would bring the Heavyweight championship back to English shores?. Or is it Dave, the plumber from Anfield? This will determine who wins and loses this fight.
My Prediction: I think this is a True 50/50 and the closest to a true 50/50 weve had on the domestic heavyweight scene in a long time. Both have very clear strengths and weaknesses, both have shared countless rounds with world-class fighters. Both have incredible highs and frightful lows and both will taste one of those again on Saturday. I have changed my mind about who will win this fight more times than I can count but as i write this my faith lies with big David Price. He has the height and reach of Tyson Fury with the punching power of Deontay Wilder, he should be the perfect heavyweight. His chin, gas tank, and mental fortitude have often let him down and prevented him from achieving the accolades his stature and talent deserve. However despite this, if he can come to the ring the menace we all know he can be I believe he will stop Derek Chisora in a similar manner to the way he stopped Dave Allen. Picking his shots, loading up on the left hook but only when it is guaranteed to land and eventually forcing the referee or Chisora’s corner team (if he has one) to stop the fight. Chisora is no slouch and it will take rounds for Price to break him down but ultimately I think, and indeed I hope he can pull off the upset.
Ewan Breeze – Rebel Boxing For SimBoxx🥊
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