Derek Chisora and Joseph Parker fought out a tough 12 round battle in May, with the Kiwi coming out on top by split decision.
The two will go at it again in Manchester on Saturday night in one of the most highly anticipated rematches in British boxing’s recent history.
Saturday’s Undercard
Away from the main event, there are a number of intriguing battles featuring local talent and world title fights.
Manchester-born Zelfa Barrett takes on Bruno Tarimo in a super featherweight bout while fellow local boy Jack Cullen is back at the scene of his ‘Fight of the Year’ contender with Felix Cash in 2019.
This time Cullen faces Emre Cukur for the vacant European super-middleweight title and that is not the only bout for a belt on the undercard.
Challenger Lerrone Richards puts his unbeaten record on the line as he faces Carlos Gongora, also with a perfect record, for the IBO super-middleweight belt.
The First Bout
When Chisora and Parker met in May this year, Del Boy got off to an explosive start, scoring a knockdown after just seven seconds of the first round. Chisora did his best to keep the fight in the pocket and had the upper hand after the first six rounds.
However, Parker grew into the contest and managed to use his superior height and reach to work from behind the jab and cause damage to his opponent.
The fight eventually went all 12 rounds with Parker declared the winner by split decision. The three judges’ scorecards called the bout 115-113 and 116-111 in Parker’s favour and 115-113 for Chisora.
Point To Prove for Parker
Despite there being no rematch clause in the contract, Parker stated that he wanted to prove he was better than that narrow victory and agreed to the first rematch of his career.
In the lead up, Chisora has reunited with former coach Dave Coldwell to try and secure revenge for his loss.
The first bout also marked Parker’s first fight with new coach Andy Lee, the former middleweight world champion and Tyson Fury’s second cousin.
The Kiwi has been preparing with Lee for this fight with the help of the Fury camp and will have longer than the six weeks he did with his new coach before that initial Chisora dust down, which should work to his advantage.
Repeat Result Likely
The increased time spent with his new coach and a better preparation for this fight should give Parker the edge here.
Chisora was admirable in defeat last time out but probably missed his opportunity to get one over on the Kiwi, who will be sharper and less likely to be susceptible to Del Boy’s attacks.
Parker is just 29-years-old and will be hoping this victory can propel him back towards another world title fight, he is 20/57 to get the win, while 37-year-old Chisora is a 2/1 shot to avenge his defeat from last time out.
With his better preparation, Parker may well take this on the judges’ scorecards again and 7/5 is more than fair for him to do so after going the distance for a second time.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
