Visits: 4
“I shook his hand. But after I released my hand, we’re at war.”
Last Updated: 29/09/19 7:42am
0:58 Derek Chisora rated Joseph Parker “one out of 10” and vowed “there’s no playing around anymore”.
Chisora and Parker meet in a high-stakes heavyweight clash and Josh Taylor fights Regis Prograis in a world super-lightweight unification clash on October 26, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Chisora told Soccer AM about his upcoming opponent: “The guy is good. He has a good right hand. But I believe that, since he moved to Vegas, he doesn’t have hunger.
“That’s massive in the game.
“I’ve got some losses but I’m gassed and pumped for the fight.”
1:24 Former WBO champion Parker is the only man to beat Andy Ruiz Jr, but has lost his previous two visits to Britain against Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.
Chisora, meanwhile, is coming off a spectacular knockout of Artur Szpilka.
Asked to rate Parker, he replied: “One out of 10.”
Chisora continued: “I like the guy. He’s a family man, a cool guy. I shook his hand.
“But after I released my hand, we’re at war.
“There’s no playing around anymore.”
Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry had previously told Sky Sports that they are asking sparring partners to commit fouls because they expect Chisora to bend the rules.
“Everything from leading with his head, using his elbows, and his forearms and low blows, and choking Joe with his arm, pushing Joe’s head down,” Barry said. “All the fouls that we know Derek Chisora has as part of his skill-set.”
Parker’s promoter David Higgins insists the officials will play an important role.
“Joseph Parker and Kevin Barry are 100 per cent right to be gravely concerned,” said Higgins. “We’ve got a 100 per cent rate of unfair treatment in the UK by the officials. I invite the British public and media just to look at the tapes, you can see it. It’s not opinion, it’s fact.
“We would call for a level playing field, and we’ll be scrutinising very closely the choice of referee, in particular, as well as the judges too. The referee has been the main issue for the three fights, rather than the judges.”
