Don Charles worked with Derek Chisora for many years, so he is as well placed as anyone to offer insight into his potential fight with Deontay Wilder.
Chisora has always given everything inside the ring. He has been involved in plenty of hugely entertaining battles with the likes of Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte, though has never won a world title.
His next fight will be his 50th, which he has always said will be his last, but few would have expected it to be against the former long-reigning WBC champion and famously big-punching Wilder, even if the American is considered past his best, having lost to Fury, Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker in recent years.
Speaking to Sky Sports Boxing, Charles first said he thinks Wilder has underestimated Chisora, even at this stage of his career.
“I wouldn’t consider Derek, irrespective of where he is in his career, I wouldn’t choose him as a comeback fight or a warm-up fight. Wilder, especially in his last few fights, certainly shouldn’t choose Derek Chisora.”
He then suggested it would be a great fight to watch and made his prediction for how it might end.
“It’s a fan-friendly fight because of their styles. You’ve got a renowned puncher [Wilder], questionable what he’s got left. If you ask my opinion, a puncher will always be a puncher.
“Depending on who Wilder has in front of him, stylistically, would they give him that room to detonate that bomb? I believe if he fights Chisora, Chisora will not be on the outside to get tagged with that. Wilder is going to have a big problem.”
Chisora has shown before how hard he can be to fight, given his aggression, relentless work ethic and front-foot style, not least when he welcomed Oleksandr Usyk to the heavyweight division back in 2020 and pushed him as hard as anyone has.
