David Haye responds to Oleksandr Usyk transformation and insists Derek Chisora is in incredible shape too – ‘He’s rock-solid, he’s like a bull’
David Haye believes Oleksandr Usyk has ‘miscalculated how good Derek Chisora is’ and has warned the Ukrainian his fighter is in the best shape of his career ahead of their heavyweight clash.
The pair were due to meet at London’s O2 Arena on May 23, but the bout been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus.
Chisora and his manager, Haye, are now trying to get the fight moved to Saudi Arabia, with reports the Kingdom will lift their social restrictions sooner that Britain and the showdown could be held in the Middle East as soon as July.
In the meantime, Usyk has wowed boxing fans by showing off his impressive body transformation.
The former unified cruiserweight champion has spent the coronavirus lockdown bulking up for his second bout as a heavyweight, having defeated Chazz Witherspoon in his professional debut in the division in 2019.
But Haye insists Usyk isn’t the only one and says Chisora is also in incredible shape ahead of their anticipated fight.
“Derek is in a good place,” former WBA heavyweight champion Haye told the Weekend Sports Breakfast.
“The fight date he’s been working towards has been postponed and Usyk is in training and we can see from his social media that he is ticking over in the Ukraine.
“He’s ranked in every boxing expert’s top five pound-for-pound fighters, he’s an Olympic champion, he’s never ever lost a boxing match before, he was the undisputed cruiserweight champion - he’s the man, the most skilled smaller heavyweight out there.
“Derek Chisora has lost nine fights, many people think he’s passed his prime, but believe me he was having a run in training camp like I’ve never seen him before - the sparring, the physical side of things.
“He’s got on his discipline, he’s eating the right food, he’s sleeping the right times, he’s not doing all of the things he did in the past that culminated in him losing those nine fights.
“He shouldn’t have lost all of those fights, a lot of the time he wasn’t just in the best physical condition, the right mind-set, but he is now.
“I think Usyk has miscalculated how good Chisora is, he doesn’t realise how strong he is, he’s like a bull, he’s absolutely rock-solid, and he’s still training now.
“A lot of boxers would fly off the handle in this lockdown, they’d be on the beers, smashing Easter eggs, but he hasn’t - he’s been really on it, he’s been looking after himself.
“So when this thing dies down and he finally gets his opportunity, he beats Usyk and then he is then the number one contender for Anthony Joshua, and that’s a dream come true for him.”