Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora will meet for a third time on Saturday in the main event of a Top Rank card at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London (ESPN+, 1 p.m. ET). Fury’s WBC and lineal heavyweight championships will be on the line.
Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) retired after a sixth-round TKO victory over Dillian Whyte in April. After four months, he decided to return and announced his fight against Chisora. Fury defeated Chisora by unanimous decision in 2011 and by 10-round TKO in 2014.
“Whoever fights Derek Chisora is in for a f—ing good fight. That’s what we know. That’s what we prepared for,” Fury said during a news conference on Wednesday. “And he was available and ready to rock n’ roll. He stepped up to the plate, and bang, here we are. There’s going to be a throwdown for the fans right before Christmas.”
Chisora (33-12, 23 KOs) defeated Kubrat Pulev by split decision in July after three consecutive loses to Oleksandr Usyk and Joseph Parker (twice).
“I can’t sit here and try to be more aggressive to Tyson and try to say so many bad words because the man I’m looking at right now is giving me an opportunity when nobody wanted to give me an opportunity,” Chisora said at the news conference. “He called me up and he said to me, ‘I want to fight you. I want to give you a big payday.’ And I said, ‘Yes. Let’s make it happen.'”
Stay here for live results and analysis from Mike Coppinger and Connor O’Halloran.
Fight in progress: Yvan Mendy vs. Denys Berinchyk, 12 rounds, lightweights
Results:
Itauma defeats Belujsky by eighth-round TKO
Karol Itauma’s younger brother, Enriko, 18, may have gained more plaudits recently after becoming the world and European youth super heavyweight champion, but it was Karol fighting on his second Fury undercard on Saturday as he looked to stay undefeated and improve his standing. He did just that.
Itauma (22, 9-0) — of Slovakia, but fighting out of Kent, England — controlled much of the fight, constantly steering Vladimir Belujsky (27, 12-5-1), from Slovakia but fighting out of Mitchelstown, Ireland, to the edge of the ring as he looked comfortable delivering jab after jab. It was to nobody’s surprise when Belujsky’s defense finally gave way. Itauma broke through with a flurry of punches that downed Belujsky in the seventh round, before referee Lee Every jumped in during the last round signaling an Itauma victory.
Smith stops Perez in Round 1
Royston Barney Smith (18, 4-0, 2 KOs) was fighting in just his fourth pro bout, and he delivered in style as he eased to a straightforward TKO win in just over a minute.
The British fighter made quick work of Cruz Perez (3-4, 1 KO), of Nicaragua, staying at range and using with jabs before delivering a devastating left hand that ended the fight almost as quickly as it began.
That is Smith’s second straight stoppage inside the first round as he again proves to have some serious punching power. — O’Halloran
Still to come:
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Title fight: Tyson Fury vs. Derek Chisora, 12 rounds, for Fury’s lineal and WBC heavyweight title
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Title fight: Daniel Dubois vs. Kevin Lerena, 12 rounds, for Dubois’ WBA “regular” heavyweight title