As he continues to wait for his next featured bout, Dereck Chisora is looking at all of his options. That includes an opportunity to trade in his boxing gloves for grappling ones.
Chisora (32-9) spoke with ESPN about his plans over the next few months. He is set to face off against Oleksandr Usyk in a mandatory heavyweight bout. Originally set for May 23, the bout was postponed due to the coronavirus. There is no date set for the bout to take place, but the fight may not take place in the United Kingdom as planned. While he waits, he could make the jump to a familiar MMA promotion.
“If the date doesn’t come up for Usyk I think I will be doing Bellator in July while I wait,” Chisora stated. “I’m going in the Octagon and we are talking to them [Bellator] at the minute and it might happen in July in the U.K.
“I’ve been [MMA] training for two and half years at London Shootfighters in Wembley with Alex Demetriades. I can do the MMA while I wait for the Usyk fight. It will be doing both at the same time.”
Bellator and Matchroom Boxing currently have a deal with DAZN which allows fights to be broadcasted onto its platform. This wouldn’t be the first time Bellator has been involved in these talks; Bellator’s Cris Cyborg was interested in a bout with Cecilia Braekhus. Scott Coker’s promotion is currently looking into holding fights sometime in July.
Chisora (32-9) is on a three-fight win streak. Following a knockout loss at the hands of Dillian Whyte in 2018 (the second loss against Whyte), “Del Boy” won three fights in 2019. He won a unanimous decision bout against Senad Gashi in April, a knockout win over Artur Szpilka in July, and a TKO win over David Price in October. Set to face off against Usyk, a former lineal cruiserweight champion, Chisora is now keen on fighting without fans.
“Fighting behind closed doors is like going back to be an amateur or your early days as a professional,” Chisora went on to say.
“Up and coming fighters can do it but for your bigger guys like Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and me, I don’t think we can do that. You need fans to lift yourself up and I think this fight [against Usyk] needs fans. It will be in front of fans.”
Whyte, Chisora’s adversary, has been challenging UFC star Francis Ngannou to a bout, with both looking to fight either inside a ring or a cage. Eddie Hearn has been looking to get the two together to come to terms.
As of this moment, Bellator has not discussed anything regarding Chisora entering its promotion.