JOSH Taylor’s pre-fight press conference ahead of his eagerly awaited October 26 Ali Trophy final against Regis Prograis at the o2 in London descended into chaos when Dereck Chisora threatened to walk off the bill if his heavyweight clash with former WBO champion Joseph Parker isn’t made the main event.
The volatile 35-year-old, whose presence on the running order for the Sky box office is sure to be popular among the London crowd, hit out at Matchroom sport supremo Eddie Hearn and WBSS boss Kalle Sauerland when they confirmed that the Scot’s bout with Prograis, which will see the IBF and WBA super lightweight titles on the line, was headlining the event.
“Either you give me the main event or I pull out the f***** show,” said Chisora. “You want to put these two guys who nobody knows about on my show and try to mug me off. You might be able to sell those tickets in Glasgow.”
He stormed off before the end, followed by his manager David Haye, leaving a rather bewildered Tartan Tornado seated cetre stage. For all Chisora’s pulling power, Taylor can expect to carry a large travelling support to London for the show, not least because of the presence of Ricky Burns taking on Lee Selby is another attraction for Scottish fans. “Alright, everyone, how’s it going, bit awkward but that is how it is,” said Taylor. “I am headlining the o2 and I am pure excited.”
Chisora’s walk-out isn’t the first piece of controversy surrounding this fight, with Prograis at one stage threatening to walk out on the World Boxing Super Series before the final stage. While the native of New Orleans is the No 1 seed in the 140lb category, and Taylor is No 2, the Scot said he was full of confidence and can’t see any other outcome than a Taylor victory on the night.
“I am full of confidence,” said Taylor. “I think I am bigger than him, quicker than him, stronger than him, and I punch just as hard as him. If he walks onto a shot I can get him out of there or I can out-box him for the full 12 rounds.
“I am headlining the show down here, tapping into the British fans, so I can’t wait,” he added. “Right now, I believe myself and Regis are the best two in the division, we are the guys to beat. And we are going to prove it on October 26. This is my time to shine and I am super confident.”
Typically, there was a disagreement between the two men, with Prograis claiming Ivan Baranchyk “cut” Taylor up even in defeat during their WBSS semi-final and Taylor insisting it was a “clash of heads”. “What fight were you watching?” said the Scot. “The same one you were fighting,” jabbed back Prograis, who had a ringside seat in Glasgow that night.
“I’ve got this guy in my ear a little bit [Chisora] because he wants to be the main event but I am glad to come here,” said Prograis, who has an unbeaten record in his 24 pro fights to date. “I am excited to come to London, most fighters don’t get this chance in a lifetime.
“Everybody always says they are going to beat me. Everybody says it was going to be a 50/50 fight but I blow everyone up. He is taller than me, he is longer than me, but you can’t determine my heart on the tale of the tape. And you can’t determine my IQ, Not to be cocky, but I can’t see him beating me.”
For his part, Burns is relishing the chance to be on a show like this again. His battle with Selby, the former IBF featherweight champion, will be the 52nd of the three-weight world champion’s illustrious career.
“Finally got one over the line,” said Burns. “It has been a frustrating year for myself with a couple of fights have been spoken about that have fallen through. As Lee said, we have sparred before, in the lead-up to me boxing Terence Crawford. I remember thinking when we were sparring ‘the size of you for a featherweight’. It was competitive sparring back then and on the night the best man will win. Feel like I am going out there to do a job, I can’t wait.”
"As far as Dereck is concerned, that is kind of best behaviour," said Chrisora's manager Haye. "No tables got thrown, no-one got punched, not one got slapped. He;s a little rough round the edges but that is Dereck, that is why people pay to see Dereck."
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