1. Derek Chisora was born on 29 December 1983 and is a Zimbabwean-British professional boxer.
145 Facts About Derek Chisora
1. 2.
Derek Chisora has challenged twice for the WBC heavyweight title in 2012 and 2022.
3.
Derek Chisora holds a notable win over world heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev.
4.
Derek Chisora has been ranked by BoxRec as among the world's top 10 heavyweights since 2013, reaching his highest ranking at No 5 in 2013 and 2020.
5.
Derek Chisora was born on 29 December 1983 in Mbare, a suburb south of the Zimbabwean capital Harare, the son of Viola and Paul Chisora.
6.
Derek Chisora had around 20 amateur fights, which included winning the 2006 ABA super heavyweight title, after defeating Tom Dallas in the final, and a silver medal at the Four Nations Championships.
7.
Derek Chisora turned professional under Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions banner and was trained by Don Charles, alongside Dean Powell in his corner.
8.
Derek Chisora made his professional debut on 17 February 2007 at the Wembley Arena in London, beating Hungarian Istvan Kecskes by a technical knockout in the second round.
9.
Derek Chisora's second fight was against English heavyweight Tony Booth at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 7 April 2007, on the undercard of Joe Calzaghe's successful WBO super-middleweight title defence against Peter Manfredo Jr.
10.
Derek Chisora's third fight was at the York Hall in London against Welshman Darren Morgan on 13 October 2007, winning on points after four rounds.
11.
Derek Chisora stated in 2022 that Morgan was the hardest puncher he has ever faced in his career.
12.
In Derek Chisora's sixth fight, on 12 September 2008 at the Grosvenor House, in his first fight over eight rounds, he defeated American Shawn McLean via sixth-round stoppage.
13.
In Derek Chisora's tenth fight, on 22 May 2009, he defeated Paul Butlin for the second time, to extend his record to ten wins.
14.
Derek Chisora was suspended for four months for biting Butlin's ear during the fifth round of their contest while in a clinch.
15.
The incident was missed by referee Dave Parris but TV replays proved conclusive, and as a result Derek Chisora missed out on his fight for the British heavyweight title against Danny Williams.
16.
On 9 October 2009, in his eleventh bout, Derek Chisora defeated Georgian Zurab Noniashvili, knocking Noniashvili down and winning by TKO in three rounds at York Hall.
17.
Derek Chisora was supposed to face Matt Skelton for the vacant Southern Area heavyweight title at the Wembley Arena in London, but the bout was cancelled.
18.
Derek Chisora instead fought Carl Baker in a British title eliminator, with the winner to face Williams.
19.
Derek Chisora grabbed and kissed Baker at the weigh-in for the fight.
20.
Derek Chisora defeated former world title challenger Williams, winning the British title by stoppage.
21.
Derek Chisora set the pace in the opening round and put Williams under pressure, Williams was warned twice for holding in the first round.
22.
Derek Chisora was scheduled to face unified IBF, WBO, IBO, and Ring magazine heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko on 11 December 2010, at the SAP Arena, in Mannheim, but Klitschko pulled out of the fight three days prior, after suffering a torn abdominal muscle.
23.
At the weigh-in, Derek Chisora weighed a career-heavy 261 pounds, while Fury came in a 255.5 pounds.
24.
Derek Chisora was supposed to face Larry Olubamiwo on 5 November 2011, at the Wembley Arena in London, but the bout was cancelled, following Olubamiwo withdrawing due to illness.
25.
Derek Chisora faced undefeated contender Robert Helenius on 3 December 2011, at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki for the WBA and WBO Intercontinental, and vacant European heavyweight titles.
26.
Derek Chisora complained afterwards, demanding an immediate rematch on a neutral territory.
27.
Sources in Germany reported that Derek Chisora was likely to fight WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko on 18 February 2012, at the Olympiahalle in Munich.
28.
At the weigh-in, Derek Chisora slapped Klitschko across the face when the two went head-to-head during the staredown.
29.
Derek Chisora was quoted as saying after the slap "I ain't come here to play games I come here to fight".
30.
At times, Derek Chisora was able to deliver some punishment of his own, with most of his work coming with body shots and hooks to Klitschko's head, forcing Klitschko onto the back foot, and his best rounds being the eighth and twelfth round.
31.
Derek Chisora became only the fourth man, to take Klitschko the twelve round distance.
32.
Derek Chisora then intervened, calling Haye an "embarrassment", and challenged Haye to a fight, to which Haye responded that Derek Chisora had lost "three fights in a row".
33.
Haye threw punches at Derek Chisora whilst holding a bottle in one hand, leading to Derek Chisora accusing Haye of glassing him.
34.
German authorities sought both Haye and Derek Chisora following their involvement in the brawl.
35.
Police detained Derek Chisora, but released him without charge following questioning, whilst urging Haye to turn himself in.
36.
On 21 February 2012, Haye and Derek Chisora both released formal statements about the incident.
37.
Additional security were present at the press conference and a steel fence was put in place to keep Haye and Derek Chisora separated during the announcement.
38.
The bout heated up at the end of the third round, as Derek Chisora closed the distance and caught Haye with a flush left hook after the bell had gone, which appeared to hurt Haye.
39.
Derek Chisora emerged at the start of the fourth round aggressively, exchanging punches with Haye.
40.
At the eighth count, Derek Chisora made it to his feet, Haye connected with a series of punches, knocking Derek Chisora down for a second time, and though he regained his feet again, the referee waved the fight off, therefore giving Haye the win by TKO in the fifth round.
41.
In March 2013, Derek Chisora was issued a new British Boxing Board of Control licence.
42.
Derek Chisora made his ring return on 20 April 2013 at the Wembley Arena in London.
43.
Derek Chisora told ESPN that he would dedicate his victory to late former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who was an MP for Derek Chisora's hometown of Finchley.
44.
Derek Chisora won the bout via controversial knockout in round 6, following an over hand right.
45.
Scott boxed well with his jab, while Derek Chisora scored well with body punches.
46.
Derek Chisora controlled the fight from the opening bell, eventually drawing blood from Gerber after three rounds.
47.
Derek Chisora entered the ring in tears following the recent death of his mentor, Dean Powell.
48.
Derek Chisora was scheduled to fight Arnold Gjergjaj, who broke his ribs in sparring.
49.
Derek Chisora was then replaced with Italian Matteo Mudugno, who pulled out injured.
50.
In round three, Derek Chisora trapped Pala in a corner and clubbed him to the head and body with a series of powerful shots which forced Pala to turn his back from the oncoming onslaught, forcing the referee to stop the contest.
51.
Derek Chisora fought four times in 2013, winning all inside the distance.
52.
On 27 January 2014, it was announced that Derek Chisora would fight former world title challenger Kevin Johnson at the Copper Box in London on 15 February 2014.
53.
Derek Chisora inflicted the first knockdown of Johnsons career in the fifth round, and won by unanimous decision after twelve rounds.
54.
Fury and Derek Chisora rescheduled the rematch for 29 November 2014 at ExCeL London.
55.
Derek Chisora struggled with Fury's height, reach and movement, with Fury winning the rounds comfortably until trainer Don Charles had seen enough and pulled Derek Chisora out at the end of the tenth round.
56.
Fury used his jab to trouble Derek Chisora and kept on the outside creating a distance with his longer reach.
57.
Derek Chisora failed to land any telling punches, and due to Fury's awkward fighting style, end up hitting him below the belt.
58.
Derek Chisora was warned by referee Marcus McDonnell in the first round.
59.
Derek Chisora made a comeback in Sweden on 10 September 2016 against Bosnian Drazan Janjanin and scored a second-round knockout victory following a body shot.
60.
On two occasions in the twelfth, Whyte was knocked off balance by Derek Chisora after being hit with huge shots to the head.
61.
On 24 March 2017, it was announced that Derek Chisora would get his much awaited rematch against Finnish boxer Robert Helenius at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.
62.
On pursuing a rematch with Dillian Whyte, on 31 August 2017, Derek Chisora announced that he had split with promoter Team Sauerland, but re-signed with manager Steve Goodwin.
63.
Derek Chisora explained that he had the power to put his opponent away, but wanted to enjoy the fight.
64.
Derek Chisora became more active after round 6, but failed to bustle the attack on Kabayel, who moved well with his feet.
65.
On 3 February 2018, whilst backstage at The O2 Arena in London for Lawrence Okolie vs Isaac Chamberlain, Hearn told YouTube channel iFL TV, Derek Chisora would be returning to the ring on 24 March on the undercard of Dillian Whyte vs Lucas Browne, which would take place at the O2 Arena.
66.
Derek Chisora later stated if the money was right, he would fight Joyce on the Tony Bellew vs David Haye II card on 5 May 2018.
67.
Derek Chisora then told Haye to not mention his name again.
68.
Takam started the fight out-working Derek Chisora, who spent most of the rounds against the ropes looking for counters.
69.
Derek Chisora began to take more punishment as the fight progressed and fell clearly behind on the scorecards.
70.
At one point in round 6, referee Howard Foster was looking at possibly stopping the fight with Derek Chisora taking shots against the ropes.
71.
Hearn stated despite Ortiz putting his name forward, Derek Chisora was the front-runner to fight Whyte.
72.
Derek Chisora weighed 246.2 pounds, his lightest since he fought Kubrat Pulev and Whyte weighed 246.5 pounds.
73.
Derek Chisora lost the fight via KO in the eleventh round.
74.
On 15 February 2019, it was announced that Derek Chisora had split with long-time trainer Don Charles and linked up with Rotherham based, experienced trainer Dave Coldwell, who was most well-known for leading Tony Bellew to win the WBC cruiserweight title.
75.
On 11 March 2019, Matchroom Boxing announced a doubleheader which included Derek Chisora making his ring return on 20 April, as the co-main event to Dave Allen vs Lucas Browne at The O2 Arena in London.
76.
Derek Chisora's opponent was German boxer Senad Gashi.
77.
Derek Chisora hoping to get a fight with Joseph Parker finalised but claimed Parker ducked him, who said he needed more time to prepare.
78.
Derek Chisora is a very experienced guy, he doesn't have a boxing brain but his toughness and experience makes up for that.
79.
Derek Chisora weighed 259 pounds and 29 year old Gashi weighed 220.3 pounds.
80.
Derek Chisora was looking forward to the remainder of the year and the fights they would work together moving forward.
81.
Derek Chisora knew the pressure was on based on his last performance.
82.
Derek Chisora said Gashi would never fight on UK soil again following his performance in their fight.
83.
Gashi's performance meant Derek Chisora was unable to give the fans a good fight.
84.
Derek Chisora warned Chisora not to look past him, knowing the Parker fight was likely ahead.
85.
Derek Chisora weighed in at 257 pounds and Szpilka weighed in at 243 pounds.
86.
Derek Chisora tried to get under Szpilka's skin by showing him the middle finger.
87.
Derek Chisora produced a ruthless display and defeated Szpilka via 2nd Round KO.
88.
The first round started slow as Szpilka did his best to keep out of Derek Chisora's reach and landing the occasional left hand.
89.
Derek Chisora began to cover up against the ropes as Chisora landed a five-punch barrage.
90.
The reason due to Coldwell being based in Rotherham, having commitments with local boxers and Derek Chisora who was based in London, and often fighting in London.
91.
Derek Chisora asked Coldwell to train in London and Coldwell was unable to accept the terms.
92.
Derek Chisora retained Ruben Tabares as his strength and conditioning coach.
93.
Derek Chisora came out throwing punches, looking to land, but Price, the taller boxer, was looking to hold and at the same time land some of his own shots.
94.
Derek Chisora got Price on the ropes following some shots to the head and it looked as if the end was near.
95.
Price landed a right uppercut on Derek Chisora's chin, backing him up.
96.
Round 4 started and Derek Chisora did not take any chances in trying to get Price out of there.
97.
Derek Chisora landed shots on the inside overwhelming Price, who began to breathe heavily, eventually dropping to the canvas for the count.
98.
Derek Chisora buzzed me and caught me with an uppercut but I recovered easily and I came back and finish the job.
99.
Derek Chisora said he would come at Usyk non-stop and aware he would have to take five shots before he would land just one.
100.
Derek Chisora was entering the fight on the back of a three-fight win streak, following his stoppage loss to Dillian Whyte in 2018.
101.
Derek Chisora said what Usyk gives up in terms of size and power, he would make up skill and speed, which would be key to victory.
102.
Usyk's manager Egis Klimas stated after the Derek Chisora fight, they expected the mandatory to be called despite Joshua and his team discussing long-awaited fights against Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.
103.
Derek Chisora had back-up dates in lined up for the Summer.
104.
Derek Chisora then said it could take place anywhere outside the UK.
105.
Usyk and Derek Chisora had continued to train for the upcoming fight.
106.
The day before the fight, the event looked to be in jeopardy as Derek Chisora threatened to pull out, after losing a coin toss that meant he would have to walk to the ring first, which he objected to.
107.
Derek Chisora was again in trouble in the ninth, it appeared at one point that the referee was on the verge of stepping in and waving it off, but Derek Chisora was able to the survive the round.
108.
Derek Chisora appeared to be the fresher in the last two rounds but he was ever able to hurt Parker.
109.
Derek Chisora reportedly made the offer to PBC, who declined and wanted more money.
110.
Derek Chisora was desperate to get back in the ring following a 3-fight losing streak.
111.
Since their first meeting, Derek Chisora had won 7 and lost 7 of his 14 bouts.
112.
Derek Chisora explained Chisora being a fan-favourite and still being able to put on fan-friendly fights was the reason he kept getting fights.
113.
Derek Chisora did admit however, the headline acts would slowly diminish if Chisora continued to take losses.
114.
At the weigh-in, which took place at Canary Wharf's East Wintergarden, Derek Chisora wore a mask off Boris Johnson, who recently resigned as Prime Minister of United Kingdom.
115.
Derek Chisora weighed 258 pounds and Pulev checked in at 250 pounds.
116.
Derek Chisora landed a lot of overhand right to Pulev's head.
117.
Derek Chisora looked tired during the second half of the fight and spent time covering up against the ropes.
118.
On 20 October 2022, it was announced that Derek Chisora would fight Tyson Fury in a trilogy bout for the WBC heavyweight title on 3 December at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, live on BT Sport Box Office.
119.
Derek Chisora fought bravely, but was outclassed by Fury from the very start.
120.
Derek Chisora had only won one of his last 5 and Washington had only won 2 of his last 7 bouts.
121.
Derek Chisora expected Washington to avoid exchanges and be onm the backfoot on fight night.
122.
Derek Chisora said he would chase him down and catch him, predicting a 3rd round stoppage.
123.
Derek Chisora stepped on the scales at 251.1 pounds, whilst Washington was lighter, weighing in at 237.9 pounds.
124.
Derek Chisora won most round by default, outworking and showing the judges he wanted to win.
125.
Derek Chisora did not look good at the end of the round, looking beaten.
126.
Derek Chisora said it had always been 50, ever since he turned professional.
127.
Joyce weighed 281.2 pounds and Derek Chisora stepped on the scales lighter at 256.7 pounds, but nearly 5 pounds heavier than his previous fight.
128.
In round 10, Derek Chisora continued to land hard shots which again rocked Joyce.
129.
Derek Chisora was more busier to the body landing 44 shots compared to the 11 landed by Joyce.
130.
Miller posted via his Instagram account it was Salita Promotions who caused the fight to fall apart after saying Derek Chisora was ready to finalise.
131.
On 27 November 2024 Derek Chisora was announced to fight 34 year old Swedish heavyweight Otto Wallin at Co-op Live in Manchester.
132.
Derek Chisora had recently said he wanted to have 50 professional fights.
133.
Derek Chisora weighed in at 259.7 pounds, 20 pounds heavier than Wallin, who came in at 239.1 pounds.
134.
In front of 13,000 in attendance, Derek Chisora defeated Wallin by unanimous decision, scoring a knockdown in the 9th and 12th rounds in the IBF title eliminator contest.
135.
Derek Chisora gained Wallin's attention in round 4 following a number of overhand rights.
136.
The first knockdown occurred in round 9 when Derek Chisora landed right hand.
137.
Derek Chisora had members of his team hold up three posters, one each of Usyk, Joshua and Dubois.
138.
Derek Chisora spoke to the media after the Wallin fight and appeared to do a U-turn on the fight being his last in the UK.
139.
Derek Chisora endorsed the Brexit Party at the 2019 European Parliament elections.
140.
Alongside English, Derek Chisora is fluent in Shona, his first language.
141.
In November 2010, Derek Chisora was found guilty of assaulting his then-girlfriend after finding text messages from another man on her phone.
142.
Derek Chisora narrowly escaped being sent to prison, and was given a 12-week sentence suspended for two years.
143.
In November 2015, Derek Chisora was stopped in his Bentley near Hyde Park in London.
144.
In September 2016, it was reported that Derek Chisora was driving without a valid driving licence, insurance and MOT certificate.
145.
At a court hearing in January 2017, Derek Chisora avoided a driving ban by claiming he thought he was insured after a payment had left his account, paying for two drivers.