As Fury and Chisora shape up to face off, who is the bookmakers favourite?
Here we go – it’s time for Tyson Fury vs Derek Chisora III, which is set to take place on December 3, 2022 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. The final episode of the long drawn out trilogy between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and Derek ‘Delboy’ Chisora is upon us and based on the vast difference in their career trajectories since their last bout in 2014, the result appears to be a foregone conclusion. Many folks seem to have made up their mind already, but as all sports fans know, you can never truly rule out a good surprise, so keep reading for a look into the two fighters and the reasoning behind the bookmakers’ choice of favourite.
Since their last fight in 2014 at the London ExCeL, in which Chisora suffered a tenth round technical knockout after being dominated by Fury’s superior technique, Fury the ‘Gypsy King’ has gone from strength to strength, unifying the division in 2015 by defeating Ukrainian legend Wladimir Klitschko. After vacating these belts due to mental health issues and subsequent alcoholism and recreational drug use in 2016, years of boxing obscurity followed. However, his impressive draw against Deontay Wilder in 2018 and his subsequent discussion about his mental health struggles further elevated his reputation both inside and outside of the ring, with Fury being labelled the ‘People’s Champion’ by many. Since this comeback, Fury has maintained his position as one of the leading heavyweight fighters in the division while also remaining unbeaten. Fury is undoubtedly the bookmakers’ favourite – for more on the latest odds and the best ways to place your bets, check out comparisons on time2play.com. Fury is certainly a favourite based on his pretty formidable track record – in contrast, Chisora, 38, has lost seven of the twenty fights he has had since his last defeat to Fury.
Looking further into these results it can be seen that ‘Delboy’ has struggled to make the transition from regional level to the world stage with notable defeats to elite level opponents such as Joseph Parker and Oleksandr Usyk. However, his recent triumph against the highly respected Kubrat Pulev at the O2 Arena in London does seem to show that Chisora and his skills in the ring should not be underestimated and he still remains a dangerous opposition. At 38, it is clear that Chisora is in the twilight of his career, but this may in fact give him the drive to produce one more shock, and to defeat Tyson Fury at this stage would truly be that – shocking.
In truth, the fact that this fight is taking place is a shock in itself. Since his comeback in 2018, much of the boxing world has demanded what would be a spectacular battle between Fury and long-term heavyweight rival, Anthony Joshua. Their contrasting physiques, personalities and boxing styles promise a hugely entertaining contest between arguably the two greatest British heavyweights of their generation. After years of failed negotiations, finally it appeared that Frank Warren‘s Queensberry Promotions and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom had come to an agreement for a fight in December of this year. However, once more negotiations between the two camps have broken down with both camps pointing the finger at the other. This appears to have seriously frustrated Fury, who recently said ‘I think it would be an absolute dying travesty if me and Joshua didn’t fight in this era’.
Meanwhile, this has cleared the path for Chisora to have one last stab at the bigtime. The apparent gulf in class between Joshua and himself, however, has left many unenthused by this contest, with a Fury triumph appearing almost inevitable. Many folks have been frankly a little bemused by the pairing, which has left many wondering if the fight is just a way for Fury to dodge the challenge of Usyk while still making a seriously healthy amount of money from the fight.
While the first fight between Chisora and Fury ended in a unanimous points win for Fury and the second a comfortable TKO, many view this latest fight as the most one-sided yet, with a Fury win being the bookmakers favourite outcome. In fact, bookies expect a brutal knockout for Chisora the WBC champion to be likely in this contest. It has been over a decade since their first fight at Wembley Arena way back in 2011, and it is looking likely that Fury’s unanimous result could be repeated at the upcoming third bout. As a two-time world heavyweight champion, and currently ranked as the world’s best active heavyweight by ESPN, Fury is undoubtedly the favourite when it comes to this particular pairing. All will soon be revealed in Tottenham on December 3rd – so stay tuned to find out who will win this WBC heavyweight title in just a few days’ time.
