Ukrainian pound-for-pound star Oleksandr Usyk will face British favourite Derek Chisora in a colossal Heavyweight clash at The O2 in London on Saturday May 23, live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN in the US.
Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) made the move to Heavyweight after dominating at Cruiserweight, ending his extraordinary spell at 200lbs as the Undisputed king with a phenomenal run of victories in his opponents’ backyard against Marco Huck, Mairis Breidis, Murat Gassiev and Tony Bellew.
The 2012 Olympic Gold medallist began his assault on the Heavyweight division by retiring Chazz Witherspoon in seven rounds at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago last October and continues his bid to become a two-weight World Champion when he faces an in-form Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs).
Former World Title challenger Chisora scored a devastating second round knockout over Poland’s Artur Szpilka at The O2 in July 2019, a year on from his incredible eighth round KO win against Carlos Takam at the same venue, before blitzing fellow Brit David Price in four rounds last October.
The famous Greenwich venue has become a lion’s den for Chisora in recent years, playing host to his last six fights, and the Finchley powerhouse is planning on giving Usyk nightmares in his first real test in the big boy division.
“Oleksandr Usyk against Derek Chisora has all the ingredients for a classic Heavyweight clash,” said Adam Smith, Sky Sports’ Head of Boxing Development. Can the supremely talented Ukrainian withstand Chisora’s relentless aggression on a red-hot night at The O2? I’ve spoken to Chisora’s manager David Haye who is massively confident that his fighter will topple the former Undisputed Cruiserweight king.
“We know all about Usyk’s class, having witnessed his dramatic battle with Tony Bellew at Manchester Arena – and a certain Anthony Joshua will be keeping a close eye on a potential foe for the future. We’ve got a real Heavyweight line-up in the coming weeks, with Dillian Whyte’s explosive encounter against Alexander Povetkin, Usyk‘s risky showdown with Chisora and then AJ takes centre stage for his huge World Title fight against Kubrat Pulev.”
