The stage is set for Tyson Fury’s return as he prepares to complete his trilogy against Derek Chisora this weekend.
The ‘Gypsy King’ had initially wanted to fight Anthony Joshua, but the pair couldn’t agree terms and Del Boy stepped in.
Chisora isn’t considered one of the top heavyweights anymore but he will be out to show why he is a challenge and ensure the fans watch a great spectacle.
Fury was happy someone accepted his offer and he will defend his WBC belt.
It should be a tasty encounter live on talkSPORT, and here is all you need to know about these two these experienced fighters.
Early years
Chisora was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, on December 29, 1983 and after his parents were divorced, he spent a lot of time in Hatfield with his grandmother.
Just over four and a half years later, Fury was born in Manchester on August 12, 1988.
Fury was three months premature and was named in honour of former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson owing to his battling qualities displayed at a young age.
The defending WBC champion started boxing when he was ten, with his father, John, training him.
Meanwhile, Chisora’s family permanently moved to the UK when he was 16, and he began boxing at the age of 19.
Amateur Careers
Fury didn’t actually fight that many times at amateur level and ended those days with a 31-4 record.
He could have competed in the 2012 Olympics with Joshua but decided not to wait and turned professional in 2008 after missing out on selection for the 2008 Olympics, with David Price picked in his place.
But before all that, the now 34-year-old won the EU Junior Championship and the ABA super-heavyweight title in 2008.
Chisora, meanwhile, fought even fewer times in the amateur ranks but impressed and claimed the ABA super-heavyweight title two years before Fury.
Because he started boxing later than most, the now 38-year-old didn’t hang around in the amateur game for long and turned pro quite quickly.
Professional ranks
The Gypsy King turned pro on December 6, 2008, when he fought on Carl Froch’s undercard against Bela Gyongyosi and won via TKO.
Fury then cruised through his next few fights until he came up against John McDermott in Brentwood.
His opponent was widely accepted to be ahead on the cards, only for the referee to award the win to Fury by 98-92.
This result changed the way fights were officiated in England, with the introduction of three judges and the British Boxing Board of Control ordered a rematch.
That rematch came nine months later, and Fury easily dispatched of McDermott to continue his unbeaten record.
And then, in 2011, Fury and Chisora met for the first time at Wembley Arena. Del Boy, as he was known then, was the favourite but both had 14-0 records.
It was a great clash, and Fury earned the win via unanimous decision to shock the media and punters alike.
After this, Fury continued to defeat every opponent that came his way before he challenged Chisora once more for the right to face Wladimir Klitschko for a world title shot.
This was a much easier clash and the Manchurian claimed a comprehensive win over his opponent.
Fury’s fight with Klitschko in 2015 was an epic battle and the Gypsy King claimed a win via unanimous decision over the great Ukrainian.
This win made Fury a world champion and saw him claim the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.
But mental health problems and rapid weight gain saw Fury out of the ring for two and a half years.
This was the lowest moment in his career, but his comeback to the top has been extraordinary.
Fury returned to the ring in June 2018 and beat Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta in quick succession to set up the first of his three epic clashes with Deontay Wilder.
The ‘Bronze Bomber’ had been developing a lethal reputation, so it was a huge risk for Fury to take him on so early into his comeback.
Fury vs Chisora
Tyson Fury vs Derek Chisora
Age: 34 – 38
Height: 6ft 9 – 6ft 2
Weight: 264.8lbs – 258.25ibs
Professional record: 32-0-1 – 33-12-0
Reach: 85′ – 74′
Nicknames: The Gypsy King – Del Boy or War
He produced a sublime display and many people believe he deserved to win.
But he did win when the two met for their rematch, where Fury was too strong for Wilder and claimed the WBC and Ring titles.
The comeback was well and truly complete now, but Wilder wanted a third fight and launched a legal challenge to make it happen.
And so, in 2021, the pair met for the final edition of their trilogy and Wilder came flying out of the blocks and knocked Fury down twice.
But the Gypsy King peeled himself off the canvas and knocked the American out.
Fury’s last fight saw him take on Dillian Whyte in front of a packed Wembley Stadium, and he dominated and ended the bout in the sixth round.
Meanwhile, Chisora has had an equally long but not as successful career.
War made his debut at the Millenium Stadium in 2007 on Joe Calzaghe’s undercard.
Chisora beat Istvan Kecskes and swatted every other opponent aside until he met Fury.
After that first loss to the Gypsy King, Chisora set up his first world title fight against Vitali Klitschko for the WBC belt.
The Ukrainian proved too good and claimed a win via unanimous decision.
He then lost to David Haye in the same year after the pair were involved in a mass brawl after the loss to Klitschko that saw Chisora threatened with expulsion from boxing.
In the end, he got away with it and the two later made up and Haye became Chisora’s coach.
After that, Del Boy won five fights in a row before Fury beat him once more.
And since then, Chisora’s career has been a mixed bag. He won his last fight against Kubrat Pulev but has also lost to Whyte, Oleksandr Usyk and Joseph Parker.
How to follow the fight
This fight is taking place on Saturday, December 3.
It will be held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London.
The undercard is set to get underway from 5pm and the main event will start at 9:35pm.
The Fury v Chisora ring walks are slated for 9:15pm.
talkSPORT will broadcast the bout exclusively live and free to air.
Our expert team will be made of presenters Adam Catterall and Gareth A Davies, commentator Andy Clarke, and former super-bantamweight champion Spencer Oliver.
talkSPORT.com will also be running a live blog for all the action.
To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
Boxing on talkSPORT
Head over to YouTube for more of talkSPORT’s dedicated boxing content where you will find exclusive interviews with the likes of Tyson Fury, Eddie Hearn and Jake Paul, plus our very own boxing insider.
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News Summary:
- All you need to know about heavyweight rivals as they prepare for trilogy clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
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