Derek Chisora has made a decision about the future of his career in boxing, and according to the vast majority, it’s not the correct one.
Serious eyebrows were raised when Chisora announced his decision on the back of a shocking performance against Gerald Washington.
Chisora was slow, lackluster, and sluggish as he took too many shots from the hapless American.
Washinton had previously been stopped by Charles Martin, and had he been in his prime, Chisora would have wiped the floor with Washington.
But as with many fighters with a love-hate relationship with the sport, Chisora isn’t ready to walk away. That’s despite his family, including his young daughters being ringside to witness another beating.
Wearing Barbie colors, Chisora looked as stiff as a doll at times as he labored to a second win in four years.
Improving his record to 34-13, the man formerly known as “Del Boy” now wants to reach a half-century of contests.
Derek Chisora makes a decision on career
“It was a bad, bad performance. It was so bad that’s not me,” Chisora told IFL TV. “Everything was not right.
“The only thing right was my outfit [debatable], but everything else from round one to round ten was alright.”
After fans on social media called for his retirement during the fight and despite the win, Chisora added: “Everybody always asks that. Don’t worry about that. I’ll make something [of a decision soon].
“I can say what I want to do, but God will tell me no do this. So I’ll pray on it for a couple of weeks and see what God wants me to do exactly, but it’s not retirement yet.
“I’m not stopping, not yet. It’s not the time yet.”
As all boxers in denial do, Chisora then attempted to convince himself why he should continue.
“If I knew how to be a gardener, I’d have been a gardener from day one. But I’m a fighter. This is what we know,” he stated.
“You can’t decide to tell a fighter you have to stop fighting now because you’re going to be a gardener because we don’t know that.
“From day one, we’re fighting in the amateur game. Then we go pro. This is what we know. We don’t know how to type or be a receptionist on a computer. But we don’t know that.
“We are fighters. Every fighter retires. When they retire, guess what they do? They go back to the gym and start training other fighters. Do you understand? I’m a fighter.”
Asked to decide his future, Chisora concluded: “I’ll be honest with you. I’ve got three more fights, and then I’m out. I want to get to fifty [professional fights].”
Who does Chisora fight next?
The big question is, who does he face in those three fights?
As World Boxing News previously pointed out, Chisora is in a dead-end career. He’s never going to get another title shot. He didn’t deserve the last one against Tyson Fury.
That was a gift from a friend. It’s a present he didn’t need as he got hammered for the duration. Therefore, beatdowns like that must be avoided at all costs.
But that becomes harder the worse a boxer becomes. Even Washington gave him all the trouble he needed and almost defeated him.
And with Chisora’s granite chin, rounds and rounds of punishment are almost guaranteed against anyone.
The one thing that cannot happen whatsoever is a move-up in class. That’s where you’d get into worsening Chisora’s faculties for later life.
So, in a nutshell, Chisora will be stuck in middle-of-the-road mid-card battles against also-ran contenders, potentially until early 2025.
It really is a case of, Why bother Derek? Get out now while you are still okay and enjoy your family without significant problems.
Three fights against the likes of Gerald Washinton won’t change anything.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of experienced boxing writer Phil Jay.
