Dillian Whyte vs Dereck Chisora 2 - Boxing's Biggest Names Pick Their Winner

On December 22, one of the most exciting heavyweight fights this century gets its long awaited sequel when Dillian Whyte takes on Dereck Chisora at London’s O2 Arena. Whyte barely edged out Chisora on points in 2016, but what do some of boxing’s biggest names think happens in the rematch?  

Christmas will be coming early for boxing fans this year and anybody who watched their first fight will be desperate to see the rematch. The bad blood that existed between the two in the build-up to the first fight and fuelled a contest fought at a frenetic pace has only gotten stronger.

The buzz that surrounded the first Chisora vs Whyte fight meant that thanks to word of mouth, most people in the boxing industry either saw it live or caught up with it later. Here are some of boxing’s most famous faces giving their take on who wins the rematch. 

Going into the first fight in December 2016, Chisora had set new standards in press conference bad-boy protocol by literally hurling a desk at Whyte and his team. His subsequent stern reprimand and fine by the BBBC only increased interest in a fight that had previously been a hard sell. 

While the once-beaten Whyte was a top-ten contender on the rise, many believed Chisora was finished, a shot-fighter, someone on the verge of getting badly KO’d. 

However, come fight night Chisora proved he was far from finished by bustling forward like a 250 lb Joe Frazier and firing relentless heavy hooks to Whyte’s body and head. For his part, Whyte stood his ground and fired back, attempting to derail the runaway train heading his way. 

Both men threw literally hundreds of punches, taking turns to rock and stun each other, and while both were clearly gassed come the latter stages of the fight, they each showed superhuman levels of determination, fighting on way past the point of exhaustion. Whyte was awarded a split decision, but the moral victor was Chisora. 

Since their first encounter, 30-year old Whyte (24-1, 17 KOs) has established himself as a top contender and one of the five best heavyweights on the planet, along with IBF/WBA/WBO champion Anthony Joshua, WBC belt holder Deontay Wilder, lineal champ Tyson Fury and the dangerous Cuban Luis Ortiz. 

Whyte accomplished this by following up his win over Chisora with a points victory over the highly ranked Finn Robert Helenius in 2017, then scoring a sensational one-punch KO over previously unbeaten and iron-chinned Lucas Browne later that year. This year Whyte scored his career best win when he outpointed the highly skilled young New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker, twice flooring the former WBO champion along the way, and becoming the first man to do so. 

Meanwhile, when 34-year old Chisora (29-8, 21 KOs) suffered a shock points loss to unbeaten young German prospect Agit Kabayel for the European title in late 2017, it really did seem like the end of the line. He was expected to present little opposition to Carlos Takam, the powerful and skilful Frenchman who had taken a world title fight against Anthony Joshua at short notice, then proceeded to break AJ’s nose and come close to lasting the distance.

In July 2018 on the Whyte vs Parker undercard, Carlos Takam gave Dereck Chisora a pasting for the first seven rounds, only for the heavily muscled Frenchman to punch himself out, whereupon Chisora was able to go on the offensive in the eighth and land the bombs that knocked Takam down, then out. It was a stunning upset, and Chisora’s biggest win for years. 

Suddenly he was hot once again, hence the rematch with Whyte on December 22.