Derek Chisora (left) faces off with Kubrat Pulev ahead of their heavyweight rematch
Derek Chisora will step out in front of a home crowd this evening as he takes on Kubrat Pulev at the O2 Arena in London.
The main-event contest is a rematch of the pair’s 2016 clash, which Pulev won via split decision in Hamburg. Few believe that tonight’s encounter will to go the judges’ scorecards, however, with the aging heavyweights expected to slug it out in a must-win meeting for both men. Briton Chisora has shown resilience in recent defeats, though, entering the O2 Arena on the back of three straight decision losses. Pulev also went the distance last time out, outpointing Jerry Forrest in May to respond well to a 2020 knockout defeat by Anthony Joshua.
The Bulgarian has expressed a desire to fight for a world title one last time, with the clock ticking for the 41-year-old. Meanwhile, Chisora has denied suggestions that he himself should retire if he is to be beaten here. The 38-year-old told The Independent this week: “Na, na. Nope. Don’t wanna think about that. Sad stories. Na. Thinking about it… If my wife leaves me today, what am I gonna do? Am I gonna find another one? For now, no.”
Follow live updates from the main event and undercard, below.
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Chisora vs Pulev 2
The main card gets under way with a heavyweight contest between Fabio Wardley and Kingsley Ibeh!
Briton Wardley is 13-0 with 12 knockout wins, while American Ibeh is 7-2-1 with six KO wins.
Wardley is certainly being presented as a future title contender at heavyweight, so expect a strong showing from the 27-year-old here.
Chisora vs Pulev 2
Solomon Dacres def. Kevin Nicolas Espindola (heavyweight)
Yousuf Ibrahim def. Francisco Rodriguez (super-bantamweight)
Chisora vs Pulev 2
The main card is upon us! Here’s a round-up of the preliminary results…
Chisora vs Pulev 2
The main card is expected to begin at 7pm BST – when our live coverage will begin – with the main-event ring walks likely to start at 10pm.
The fights will air exclusively on streaming platform DAZN, a subscription to which is available here at a cost of £7.99 per month.
Chisora vs Pulev 2
Here is the full card for tonight’s event:
Derek Chisora vs Kubrat Pulev (heavyweight)
Israil Madrimov vs Michel Soro (super-welterweight)
Fabio Wardley vs Kingsley Ibeh (heavyweight)
Felix Cash vs Vaughn Alexander (middleweight)
Caoimhin Agyarko vs Lukasz Maciec (super-welterweight)
Ramla Ali vs Agustina Maris Belen Rojas (women’s featherweight)
Solomon Dacres vs Kevin Nicolas Espindola (heavyweight)
Yousuf Ibrahim vs Francisco Rodriguez (super-bantamweight)
Derek Chisora vs Kubrat Pulev undercard: All fights tonight
All you need to know about the main event and undercard
Chisora vs Pulev 2
The prospect of interviewing Derek Chisora presents a similar conundrum to the prospect of fighting him, though admittedly with significantly lower stakes. Because, whether preparing to trade punches or trade words with the heavyweight, there is the distinct possibility of being dragged into a brawl with the Briton.
Chisora has seen it all in the ring and heard it all outside of it, but treading the line between leaving the veteran disengaged and engaging him too directly is more of a dilemma for those combating the 38-year-old with questions instead of with uppercuts. In contrast, there is little chance of Chisora’s in-ring opponents encountering a disinterested “Del Boy”; Chisora, who now prefers the nickname “War”, lives to box and possesses the purest proclivity for pugilism.
Still, the feeling-out process when speaking to Chisora mirrors the early rounds of a bout, with jabs seeming to represent the wisest form of entry. So, before approaching the obvious topic of whether Saturday’s rematch with Kubrat Pulev will – maybe should – mark the end of Chisora’s long, captivating career, we start at the beginning.
Read our exclusive interview with Derek Chisora here:
Derek Chisora suppresses ‘sad’ thoughts of retirement as Kubrat Pulev awaits
Exclusive interview: The heavyweight on being a ‘first-aider’ in Zimbabwe, training with ‘racists’ in London, and his rematch with Pulev
Chisora vs Pulev 2
Derek Chisora will step out in front of a home crowd this evening as he takes on Kubrat Pulev at the O2 Arena in London.
The main-event contest is a rematch of the pair’s 2016 clash, which Pulev won via split decision in Hamburg. Few believe that tonight’s encounter will to go the judges’ scorecards, however, with the aging heavyweights expected to slug it out in a must-win meeting for both men. Briton Chisora has shown resilience in recent defeats, though, entering the O2 Arena on the back of three straight decision losses. Pulev also went the distance last time out, outpointing Jerry Forrest in May to respond well to a 2020 knockout defeat by Anthony Joshua.
The Bulgarian has expressed a desire to fight for a world title one last time, with the clock ticking for the 41-year-old. Meanwhile, Chisora has denied suggestions that he himself should retire if he is to be beaten here. The 38-year-old told The Independent this week: “Na, na. Nope. Don’t wanna think about that. Sad stories. Na. Thinking about it… If my wife leaves me today, what am I gonna do? Am I gonna find another one? For now, no.”
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