By Ian S Palmer
Heavyweight hopefuls Dereck Chisora of Britain and Malik Scott of the U.S. will square off this Saturday July 20 in a 10-round bout at the Wembley Arena in London, England for the vacant WBO International Heavyweight Championship. Scott, who hails from Philadelphia, is undefeated in his pro career so far with a record of 35-0-1 and 12 Kos, Chisora, who was born in Zimbabwe, but fights out of Britain, is 16-4 with 10 Kos.
Scott and Chisora aren’t exactly world beaters and they may be better known for their antics outside of the ring. They’ve both been going at each other during the pre-fight press conferences, but when boxers spend all of their energy before the bout we rarely see an engaging contest. Hopefully this time it’ll be different. Chisora’s talked himself up to be something he isn’t which is an elite boxer. He’s perhaps better than your average heavyweight, but not by much.
Chisora is known for losing against Robert Helenius of Finland back in 2011 as well as losing to WBC champ Vitali Klitschko by a unanimous decision in February of 2012 and being stopped by fellow Brit David Haye in the fifth round last July. He’s also been beaten by Tyson Fury. Chisora’s big, strong, and has a decent punch, but his chin’s not the greatest and neither are his boxing skills.
The 32-year-old Scott has got a good jab because of his long reach of 84 inches and is a pretty good boxer. He doesn’t really pack much power in his fists and has to go the distance to win most of his bouts. Chisora will need to keep his head moving and try to work his way to the inside to be effective against him as he stands 6-foot4.
Chisora has the age advantage as he’s 29, but he’s only got a 74-inch reach and stands 6-foot 1/1/2 inches. He’s a former Commonwealth and British heavyweight champion. Scott’s last bout took place in February when he earned a split decision draw with Vyacheslav Glazkov of Ukraine. Glazkov won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2008 Games in Beijing.
Scott has quite a bit of experience, but he’s only gone 10 rounds three times, so this bout could come down to who’s in the best condition. He’s definitely learned a few tricks while fighting good opposition over the years, but he needs to remember he’s boxing in Chisora’s backyard and needs to win the rounds decisively.
Prediction
Scott has good footwork while Chisora is a plodder. If the American can move around the ring and use his reach advantage it’s going to be his best bet. Scott has better hand speed and is the all-around better boxer. If he utilizes all of his advantages and skills he should be able to win a hard-fought decision over Chisora.
