Tyson Fury says he rates Derek Chisora as highly as Usyk, Chisora promises knockout upset

Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora have officially announced a third fight for Dec. 3 at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the two got together for a press conference today, with plenty to say.

Fury (32-0-1, 23 KO) will defend his WBC heavyweight title after a “short retirement,” which was of course never really a retirement, against a man in Chisora (33-12, 23 KO) he says he doesn’t have to sell, then went above and beyond in full pro wrestler promo/politician stump speech mode to sell.

Here’s what the fighters had to say, including a bit of Chisora needling Frank Warren in particular.

Tyson Fury

“Frank Warren promised me when I returned from my short retirement, I would fight in December. We tried to fight Joshua, we tried to fight Usyk, we tried to fight a few people, but they didn’t want no smoke. Frank is delivering this date, so big shout out for that.”

“I have 10 thousand pounds in cash that I’ve collected today from Mr. Frank Warren, 10 grand in cash that Frank has brought for me today, because I bet Frank Warren 10 thousand pounds that Joshua wouldn’t sign the contract. Guess what? 10 grand richer, tax-free.”

“As for me trying to sit here and sell Derek Chisora to the fans, I ain’t gotta sell absolutely nothing to nobody. Because if we go to that bar over there and we order a triple Jack Daniel’s on the rocks, we know what the fuck it’s gonna do. We know what it’s gonna do. So when I say, ‘Chisora,’ don’t forget, like, you’ve got the so-called guys in the division that people — ‘Oh, these guys are top guys’ — we offer them big fights, no smoke. You offer it to Derek Chisora, boom, he’s sat here opposite me.

“Man’s got balls, and in today’s society in this boxing game, there’s a big lack of balls. You know who you are, these people who don’t want no smoke. With Chisora, he comes and he does what it says on the tin, he goes to war. He’s changed his name from ‘Del Boy’ to ‘War,’ and we’re gonna get a war.

“I did out-box him comfortably the second time, but Chisora’s style has changed, and so has mine. I used to be a tip-tap boxer on the back foot, jibbing and jabbing around the ring, and now I’m an HMS destroyer. When you’ve got two heavy forces colliding with massive bombs, someone’s getting knocked out. That’s all I’m saying. If he lands a punch on me, a big swing, I’m getting knocked out. If I land a big swing on him, he’s getting knocked out. The fans are going to win here.”

“This will sell out in one day, 70,000. Second back-to-back stadium fight, and who better than me old mate, Derek Chisora, to have a third fight, whom I’ve promised for years to have a third fight? Good money. Bringing it back to England again for the British economy in our times. People will come here and spend money in London. That helps restaurants, pubs, bars, hotels. Then Chisora’s getting paid, I’m getting paid, what are we gonna do? We’re gonna spend it in England in the shops, bars, restaurants, pubs, night clubs, strip clubs, whatever, how we spend our money, I don’t know. It’s all staying in this country, so fair play to it. Me and Chisora are going to put on a hell of a fight, and that’s it.”

“I can beat anybody in the world, always have been able to and always will be able to. All the time I’m boxing, I can beat anybody. There’s nobody that can touch me. I’m in a league of my own, I believe.

“He done very well against Usyk and may I say — who the hell is Usyk when he’s at home? People didn’t even know his name until he beat the bodybuilder. He was a little, small heavyweight who was not gonna do anything against AJ when Chisora fought him, but then he stepped up and beat the big bodybuilder, and all of a sudden he’s a killer? I don’t think so.

“I rate Derek Chisora as highly as I rate Usyk, and I will train as hard for Derek as I would do any man in the world. If I didn’t, I’d have to be an absolute idiot. I will not underestimate Derek Chisora. And what’s Bob talking about, Michael Bentt and Tommy Morrison, no disrespect to both of them, but if you combined them both they wouldn’t make my left shoe. So that ain’t happening.

“I prepare correct, and I prepare hard and I don’t cut any corners. When I go in there, I leave everything in the ring. God forbid, I got beat, it won’t be, ‘Oh, I had an injury or I didn’t train hard enough,’ it will be the fact I lost to a better man on the night. I wish Chisora all the luck in the world, and we’re gonna have a fight, and that’s it. Gonna be a good fight, too, ‘cause he don’t shy away and I’m running nowhere, so somebody’s getting chinned.”

“I’m not going to sit here and call Derek Chisora names. I won’t. I’ve fought the man twice and I respect Derek. I’m actually a fan of Derek Chisora. When this man fights, even when he was fighting my mate Joe Parker, I wanted them both to do well. A draw would have been the best outcome for me because I’ve supported them both.

“You only can look at Derek Chisora’s resume and respect a man like that. He’s fought everybody. He’s fought the greats of this generation and other people, as well. He always comes and brings his A-game. Chisora’s had 12 losses on his record, but eight or nine of them have been to world heavyweight champions.”

“You’ve got to respect him and that’s it. I’ve got nothing bad to say about Derek, I think he’s a good fighting man and he brings his A-game every time. Whether it’s gonna be good enough to beat me, I don’t think so. No disrespect to him or anybody, I just don’t think any of these people can beat me. In my reign, I’m reigning supreme.

“I’ll beat him, and when I beat the little middleweight guy, people are going to say, ‘Oh, he was too small, he was half your size, he always gonna win.’ That’s what they’ll say, 100 percent. I’ve seen it so many times.

“Just like when I beat Wilder, all of a sudden Wilder was shit and never was any good, now he’s knocked out Helenius and all of a sudden he’s a killer again. But I’ve slain the killer. Slain him. Who knows? Get Chisora out of the way, there might be a fourth Deontay Wilder fight.

“People say to me, ‘You’ve beat Derek Chisora twice already, why you fighting him again? Who wants to see that?’ But I say to you, I beat Deontay Wilder three times, or two times and a draw, whatever you want to say, but who here would not want to see me vs Wilder for a fourth time? Not very many people.”

“If he says he’s gonna knock me out, I want to see him do it. If he does, I’ll be the first one to congratulate him, shake his hand, and say, ‘Well done.’ ... This is a man who turned up. Don’t get any injuries, don’t get second thoughts, turn up on the night, and let’s give the fans a fight. That even rhymed, wow!”

Derek Chisora

“I’m buzzing. Tottenham. It’s a great fight. I’m buzzing. This will be a good fight. I can’t really say much because they put a gag on me in the contract. ... So that’s how I’ll leave it.”

“Tyson has always said there’s going to be a third fight and the fight is here now. I’m excited. I thank Tyson for giving me an opportunity to fight him. Shout-out to his whole family. I’m buzzing. Is there bad blood? Not really, but I want to take what’s his and make it mine. I can’t box him, so I have to go in mentally, like, I have physically take what’s his and make mine. So for me to sit here and try to say different things, it’s not the way I operate.”

“The end goal, I have to take what’s his and make mine. That’s my whole agenda. So what’s his, I have to make it mine. Physically, mentally, I have to come and take it off him. That’s how I’m training right now. I want to take it. I don’t want it, I want to physically take it off him. That’s what I want. The same way he went to LA and Vegas twice, he went and physically took what was Deontay Wilder’s and made it his. This is exactly what I want to do — I want to come to Tottenham and physically take what’s his and make mine.”

“He’s shrunk a little bit.”

“He’s got a chip on his shoulder about AJ. I think the whole — Bob Arum and Frank Warren have a massive chip about it but I don’t understand why. You’re so upset. There’s complications in the whole thing. [Warren tells Chisora to worry about Fury] Frank, I don’t worry about anybody, this is what I’m trying to tell you. Put me in a room with so many guys, I don’t worry about anything. I am that guy. I don’t have to worry. He’s a big guy. We’ll see. We shall see!”

“We should get Eddie Hearn on the phone, figure out how we’re gonna sell out this stadium. Let’s get Eddie on the blower. [Chisora is actually trying to call Hearn] He can help. He sells stadiums every day.”

[After Fury defends Warren against any mentions of Eddie Hearn, and says Hearn only used Chisora as cannon fodder]: “I’m here because of myself. I’m here because you called me and said, ‘Listen, do you want to fight?’ I said, ‘Yeah, speak to mommy and daddy.’ And you’ve got mommy and daddy with you. Do you see anyone with me? No. There’s mommy and there’s daddy there, and you’re their biggest son.”

“It’s going to be toe-to-toe. ... I have to knock him out. I’m going to drop him. I’ll beat him. I’m going to knock him out. I’m going to stop him. 100 percent. When I do knock him out, just say thank you and congratulations. I’m gonna knock him out.”