It could be an entertaining fight, both competitors are young, unbeaten fighters and with the dearth of talent in the heavyweight division at present, the winner would put themselves in a prominent position on the world stage. It's just a shame they are a pair of pricks...
Zimbabwean born Chisora is the more complete fighter; he won the title from the empty shell of Danny Williams last May, but holds two victories over decent fighter Sam Sexton. The second of those wins was impressive as Chisora proved more skilful than I'd thought & showed his power in stopping his rival in the 9th. Following that showing he was a surprise choice to face world champion Wladimir Klitschko, but the fight fell through when the Ukrainian pulled out injured; there was always a sense that it was a red herring designed to lure David Haye back into negotiations but Chisora didn't realise that & it must have been a major blow. However Wladimir & his trainer have stated their interest in Saturdays fight & victory would put Chisora back into the mix
Former ABA champion Fury goes into the fight with a 14-0 record, but the level of opposition hasn't been high, with the exception of the underrated John McDermott. The first meeting saw Fury labour to a controversial points victory where he appeared very fortunate to come away with the decision; the rematch saw Fury come through awkward moments to score a 9th round stoppage. The 23 year old may not have looked dominant in either fight but he did get the victories & it could be argued McDermott is better than anyone faced by Chisora at this point
Fury, who comes from a travelling family, has struggled with a back injury over the past couple of years, often appearing over weight as a result. Although he looks the part he has yet to learn how to utilise his height & reach advantages effectively & doesn't appear a terribly hard puncher. At 6'9 he'll tower over the 6 ft Chisora, who moves well & is deceptively quick so Fury will need to use his jab to keep the fight at a distance. Chisora has been out of the ring for ten months but goes in as favourite, he's the more seasoned of the pair but if Fury can use his physical advantages correctly he has a chance
To be fair to Fury, for the majority of the time he comes across as affable & often amusing, it is only when he attempts to get involved in trash talking that a different side appears, which could just be down to youthful naivety. However the comments made this week during a telephone conference call for the press have no place in sport;
Making a defense of Chisora is a lot more difficult. The ear biting (for which he was fined - "chump change" in Chisora's words) & kissing an opponent were unpleasant but not unique behaviour. However his past convictions for assault which culminated in attacking his former girlfriend last November give a clearer indication of the man. For further evidence of his attitude towards women in particular, the following are his words from a Guardian interview conducted a couple of months before the assault;
"Women never like me," he complains. "I thought when I won the British title things would change. But it ain't happening." Why don't women like him? "I'm a rude person. But men are hunters. We look. We like. We approach. Women don't like the fact I do it with a swagger. They don't like me walking into the room like I got a million dollars in my pocket, when I ain't. But as a boxer you need that swagger."
You can argue that has no bearing on the fight, what sportsmen & women get up to in their private lives is irrelevant, which to a degree is true but when you're marketing someone in order to sell tickets & create a fanbase, it is disingenuous to sell them as " a character" & "mischievous" while ignoring their true character
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