Tszyu Shines In Middleweight Debut, Wilder And Chisora Engage In Heavyweight Brawl

Two interesting bouts that this observer properly referred to as “Crossroad Fights” kicked off the month of April 2026 on April 4th in New South Wales, Australia and London, England respectively. This column will begin with the bout that occurred in Australia as former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Tim Tazyu returned to action, this time as a Middleweight as he faced the unbeaten Denis Nurja in a fight scheduled for ten rounds.

Despite moving up six pounds to the Middleweight division from the Jr. Middleweight weight class that he had competed in for his entire career, and facing an undefeated, yet largely unknown opponent, Tszyu applied pressure from the opening bell, consistently backing Nurja up with an attack to the body and head that kept Nurja on the defensive. After suffering a cut below his left eye as a result of an accidental clash of heads, Tszyu dropped Nurja with a flush left hook followed by two right hands in the fourth round. Although the former world champion made an effort to press the issue in an attempt to get a stoppage, to his credit Nurja, despite not having an answer to halt the constant pressure, showed his mettle by not only surviving the knockdown and follow-up from Tszyu, but managed to go the full ten rounds. 

The victory for Tszyu, a shut out on all three official scorecards, was not only his second victory since being stopped in his rematch with WBC Jr. Middleweight world champion Sebastian Fundora in the summer of last year, but also served as the type of performance one would aim for in their first outing in a new weight division. Especially a division in the Middleweights that appears to be heading towards a period of transition as 2026 goes on. Before discussing Tszyu’s potential options moving forward after a performance where he was in control from start to finish, the time has come to discuss the second bout that took place on April 4th that occurred in London, England. 

This observer is referring to the high stakes Heavyweight bout between longtime Heavyweight contender Derek Chisora and former WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, which took place at the O2 Arena. A fight that was promoted as the coincidental fiftieth fight for each fighter in their respective careers, was the definition of a “Crossroads Fight.” One fighter in Chisora insisting that whatever happened win or lose, he would retire after the fight, despite holding a mandatory challenger position in the IBF Heavyweight ratings, and a former world champion who was trying to also get back in line for another chance to regain a world title.

What occurred was the definition of a brawl, which was ugly at times, but provided entertainment and drama as both fighters had their moments throughout. Chisora, the former two-time world title challenger, as always showed no intimidation as he immediately applied pressure on the taller and longer Wilder, who is known as one of the most devastating power punchers in the history of the Heavyweight division. Chisora’s pressure set up the tempo of the combat where both fighters were content to stay in close and trade punches, which also set up significant grappling on the inside and roughhousing between the two.

This also led to some heated exchanges of punches between the two fighters where both men landed flush shots on the other. As I watched this encounter, it became evident very early in the bout that unless there was a knockout one way or the other, there would be a conundrum to try and sort out when it came to the scoring of the fight. The constant pressure of Chisora, the ability to consistently back Wilder up and land hard punches, or Wilder’s ability to seemingly land harder blows particularly in exchanges of punches. While I always keep a mental score in terms of how I see things whenever I watch a fight regardless of whether I am covering it or not, based on decades of experience having covered thousands of fights on every level imaginable in the sport.  By the midway point of the twelve round bout, my focus was not on who may have been leading on the scorecards, but rather on whether we would see a stoppage as the fight progressed.

It truly was a grueling give and take battle that had to have been exhausting for both fighters. As there always seems to be in Boxing, however, a great and entertaining fight would have an element of controversy attached to it. In the eighth round, Chisora stunned Wilder with a right hand that landed flush on the head when he had the former world champion briefly neutralized in his corner. Wilder responded with heavy blows of his own that sent Chisora across the ring staggering as Wilder pressed forward continuing to land punches and ultimately would be credited with a knockdown as he knocked Chosora through the ropes. Chisora was able to get himself together and the fight continued. When Wilder pressed forward attempting to force a stoppage, in being overly aggressive he sent Chisora through the ropes again, but this time pushed him through the ropes. This led to Referee Mark Bates to deduct a point from Wilder for pushing. Wilder himself would take a trip to the canvas later in the fight for what was ruled a slip.

Wilder would score a second knockdown of Chisora in round eleven and ultimately, that second knockdown would allow him to get over the finish line in earning an extremely hard fought and grueling twelve round split decision over Chisora. While the events of a wild, no pun intended, eighth round has been subject to controversy in the eyes of some, the call of Mark Bates to deduct a point from Wilder was proper. It can be hard at times in the midst of a heated battle, such as this was, to remain focused if you are a referee, particularly when you not only have to deal with the two fighters in front of you, but also the atmosphere of a loud and excited crowd. Although I do not believe Deontay Wilder pushed Derek Chisora intentionally as he was obviously trying to force a stoppage and was in the midst of throwing punches, pushing an opponent is indeed illegal either as a hurt fighter trying to avoid being knocked down or knocked out, or as a fighter looking for a knockout. As such, even if it was a circumstance of bad timing in the eyes of some, Bates did make the correct call. The issue of the events of round eight aside, this was a fight that more than lived up to every expectation and it would not surprise me as Derek Chisora did not outright retire after the fight and appeared to be going back and forth on the subject, if we see a rematch perhaps later this year, especially if there is money on the table and interest in a rematch is there.

Turning our attention briefly back to the first fight that was covered in this column in closing, Tim Tszyu finds himself in a unique position as he is now competing as a Middleweight and the division may indeed be entering a period of transition as WBC world champion Carlos Adames, fresh off of a recent title defense over Austin Williams in March, has announced his intention to vacate his title and move up to the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division, which would leave an opening in the WBC Middleweight ratings and the former unbeaten unified world champion of the division, WBO/IBF world champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly currently being idle after testing positive for a banned substance, subsequently being suspended, and likely to be stripped of both titles he holds, there will certainly be room for Tszyu to try to maneuver his way into a title shot, particularly because he has name recognition value and did win a world title previously in his career as a Jr. Middleweight. It is not hard to envision the likelihood that Tszyu could be fighting for a vacated world title by the end of this year, despite just debuting in the division.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison      

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1      

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1    

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1 

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beaudenison1.bsky.social 

Two Crossroads Bouts Kick Off The Month Of April 2026

There inevitably will come a point in most fighters careers throughout combat sports where the line will be thrown out that they or their career is “At a Crossroads.” In most cases, the line is used when fighters are attempting to rebuild after a setback and/or a long stretch of inactivity. The month of April 2026 will begin with two fights featuring three fighters who that line is more than appropriate. Firstly, Boxing’s Heavyweight division will take centerstage when former longtime WBC World Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will square off with longtime contender, current IBF mandatory challenger, and former multi-time world title challenger Derek Chisora at the O2 Arena in London, England in a bout that can be seen on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN as part of an Ultimate subscription or as a standalone pay-per-view offering.

Of course, when discussing Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder, if one is objective, they would say that we are talking about two of the best Heavyweights over the last twenty years. One a former world champion, who is in the midst of a comeback, one a veteran who has stayed near the top of the Heavyweight division for many years, despite falling short when he has attempted to become a world champion. Ironically, this is a circumstance where one can make a legitimate argument that it is Chisora who has more to lose going into this fight than does the former world champion Wilder. 

Not only due to the fact that it is Chisora who has top billing over Wilder in this fight in all the marketing and promotion for it, but more specifically, due to his having seemingly against steep odds in the twilight of his long career, has gotten himself back in line to challenge for a world championship after having two previous attempts at a world title separated by a decade. While Derek Chisora’s career has been one of hard luck along the way it has also been one of resilience and regardless of what happens in this fight, one should tip their hat to him. 

Meanwhile, Deontay Wilder long ago earned his reputation as one of the hardest punchers and feared “Knockout Artists” in the history of the Heavyweight division. Wilder, however, has seen his career stall, marked by losing his world title, suffering a second loss in an attempt to regain the title, and lengthy stretches of inactivity. In his most recent outing, Wilder scored a seventh round stoppage of Tyrrell Herndon in Wichita, Kansas in June of last year in his first fight since suffering a knockout loss at the hands of Zhilei Zhang one year before. A fight where Wilder gained his forty-third knockout in forty-four career wins, but one where his performance was more measured, tactical, and seemed to indicate a new approach for him in terms of how he fights. If that is indeed the case it no doubt will be put to the test in this fight against Chisora.

Despite being at a significant height disadvantage against most of his opponents throughout his career, Derek Chisora is a come forward pressure fighter, who has fought most of the top Heavyweights of the last fifteen years and will not be intimidated by Wilder’s near 98% career knockout percentage. Chisora, who stands just under 6’2, will be giving up almost six inches in height and nine inches in reach, is coming off of a twelve round unanimous decision over Otto Wallin in February of last year. 

How the fight draws up seems relatively straight forward. As has been the case throughout his entire career, Derek Chisora knows only one direction, forward, and no doubt that will be the fight plan for him here. To attempt to come forward put pressure on Wilder, back him up, and try to force a fight on the inside in an attempt to break him down. Although intimidation is not a factor here, one should keep in mind that Deontay Wilder has knockout power in either hand and is capable of ending a fight at any time if given an opening and is particularly dangerous with his right hand. The fight plan for Wilder should be to try as best as possible to keep Chisora at distance with his longer reach and if Chisora is able to close the gap, immediately tie him up on the inside to force a break by the referee. 

Fighters who have significant height and reach advantages over their opposition are often criticized by fans for implementing such an approach because often it may not be the most entertaining to watch, but a fighter’s primary objective should be to do what they have to do within the rules to achieve victory. A criticism of Wilder some have made throughout his career is he has relied heavily on his punching power to at times get himself out of trouble and ultimately to get the job done. Although punching power is a great asset to have, it should not be the only tool in a fighter’s arsenal and to his credit, Wilder did show in his last fight a consistent effort to try and implement a more disciplined approach, but whether or not that will be as successful against a fighter that applies constant pressure like Chisora or if Wilder will revert back to a power first mentality remains to be seen. The goal of both fighters is to get another opportunity at a world title and we will simply have to see who is able to take the next step in that goal. 

While Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder are at a crossroads in their respective careers, so too is the third fighter who will see action on April 4th. This observer is referring to former WBO Jr. Middleweight champion Tim Tszyu, who will look to continue rebuilding his career by moving up in weight to the 160lb. Middleweight division as he will face undefeated contender Denis Nurja at the WIN Entertainment Centre in New South Wales, Australia in a scheduled ten round bout that can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription general entertainment network Prime Video.

This will be Tszyu’s second fight since being stopped in his rematch with WBC Jr. Middleweight world champion Sebastian Fundora in July of last year. The second loss to Fundora, the man who dethroned him of his WBO world championship in March 2024 was Tszyu’s third career defeat and his second stoppage loss after previously being stopped in a failed attempt to regain a world title against then IBF Jr. Middleweight world champion Bakhram Murtazaliev in October 2024.

What makes this a crossroads fight for Tszyu is for the last two years since his first loss to Fundora, which was a twelve round split decision, Tszyu has found his career stuck in a cycle. Following his first loss to Fundora and his loss to Murtazaliev that followed, Tszyu has seen two victories split between his second loss to Fundora in defeating Brian Mendoza in his first fight following his loss to Murtazaliev, then being stopped by Fundora in seven rounds in their rematch where he submitted in his corner, followed by a win in his last fight, a ten round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Anthony Velazquez.

The question here going into this fight is whether Tszyu will be able to continue rebuilding his career with another victory or if the cycle will continue with potentially another setback. In Denis Nurja, Tszyu, who will enter with a record of 26-3, with 18 Knockouts, will face a fighter unbeaten in twenty professional fights with nine knockouts.

While the Albanian-born Nurja will be going into the equivalent of a lion's den by facing Tszyu in his home country of Australia where he is unbeaten, he has built an impressive resume against opposition that are not well known, but a potential advantage for the boxer/puncher is he has more experience fighting as a Middleweight compared to Tszyu. Although Tszyu is also a boxer/puncher, most would suggest it is the undefeated fighter here that is taking a step up in caliber of competition against a former world champion. 

Although Nurja is not known for punching power, like Tszyu, he is a fighter that has no issues getting in and mixing it up with his opponents. The question is whether he will be able to do that and have similar success against a fighter of Tszyu’s caliber as he has had against lesser known opposition. A loss here for Tszyu would obviously set him back further, despite facing his second consecutive undefeated opponent, and though Denis Nurja is not a household name at this point in his career, a fighter with an unbeaten record can never be dismissed. 

The crossroads for Tszyu may not be retirement with a loss, but rather a case where his rise as the offspring of a great fighter in Kostya Tszyu, as has been the case for other offspring of great fighters throughout history where it might have been too much, too soon, and a loss here may be an indication to Tszyu and his handlers that a more thorough rebuild might be necessary, rather than trying to get him back into position to challenge for a world title within a narrow timeframe as other fighters including legends of the sport have found at other stages of their careers, 

With the spotlight firmly focused on these two fights, it is simply a matter of seeing what happens for Chisora, Wilder, Tszyu, and Nurja as career paths will no doubt be affected by what occurs on Saturday, April 4th.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Chisora vs. Wilder takes place on Saturday, April 4th at the O2 Arena in London, England. The fight as well as it's full undercard can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN either as a standalone pay-per-view offering for $49.99 or as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription for $44.99 per month. The card will begin at 12PM ET/9AM PT with preliminary bouts followed by the main card beginning at 2PM ET/11AM PT (*North American Times Only* *Card and Start times Subject to Change.*

For more information about DAZN including schedules,list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area,and region specific subscription and pay-per-view pricing please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

Tszyu vs. Nurja takes place on Saturday, April 4th (April 5th in Australia) at the WIN Entertainment Centre in New South Wales, Australia. In the United States, the fight can be seen on digital entertainment subscription streaming network Prime Video included with a Prime Video subscription at no additional cost beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT. For more information about Prime Video included compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.PrimeVideo.com or search for Tszyu vs. Nurja on the Prime Video app by hitting the Premier Boxing Champions tab within the sports tab. (*United States Times Only.* *Card and Start Times Subject to Change.* *Check your local listings internationally for availability and platform.*)

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison     

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1     

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1  

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1 

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beaudenison1.bsky.social 

Chisora And Shields Triumph In Heavyweight Bouts

While July 27th signaled the beginning of competition of Boxing at the 2024 Summer Olympics being held in Paris, France, two intriguing bouts took place in two other countries on the professional side of the sport in the Heavyweight division featuring both Men and Women. First at the O2 Arena in London, England, it was a crossroads encounter between two longtime Heavyweight contenders Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora.

This was a fight where both fighters entered at a stage in their careers where some felt each was on the verge of a win or retire scenario. Hence, this observer’s label of it being a “Crossroads Encounter." Thought the label was appropriate, one might argue, despite the appearance that both fighters were at a similar stage, it was Chisora that was closer to retirement due to both the fact that he has had a seventeen year career, but also his talking about wanting to retire after his fiftieth professional fight. Chisora’s forty-ninth fight would arguably be one of his best.

From the opening bell Joyce tried to impose his 6’6 frame and 281lb. body on the 6’1 Chisora. While Chisora entered the fight weighing 256lbs., the difference in size was clear as was the pressure Joyce applied on Chisora. Despite appearing to have more success when he used his reach to keep Chisora at distance, Joyce chose to fight in close, which not only negated the effectiveness of his punches by smothering them, it also played into Chisora’s strategy, which is almost always to get in close and fight on the inside as more often than not, he is competing against taller and heavier opponents.

What was also evident early on was Joyce was throwing slow, but hard thudding punches, and Chisora was either looking for counter punches, or trying to land in two or three punch combinations. The pace in which this fight was fought was one that at times was slow, but also seemed to be higher compared to most fights fought in the Heavyweight division. As yours truly watched this fight, I had a sense that it may come down to which fighter runs out of steam first as both fighters landed hard shots throughout and both had moments where they looked utterly fatigued and struggling to stay on their feet. Despite this, I felt that Chisora was outworking Joyce in what was a hard fought battle. With the fight entering the final three rounds, however, I questioned whether Chisora would get to the finish line.

Just as it appeared the effects of fatigue and Joyce's pressure were breaking him down, Chisora landed a right hand out of nowhere that knocked Joyce flat on his back on the canvas. To his credit, Joyce was able to get to his feet and continued the fight. It was at this point given that he had scored the knockdown and seemed to be outworking Joyce that I felt the knockdown likely secured the win on the scorecards. 

With both fighters looking utterly exhausted, the tenth and final  round was as the previous nine had been, a battle of wills. It would be Derek Chisora, who would get the nod from the three official judges in scoring one of the biggest wins of his career. In doing so, he also likely opens himself to more opportunities that will take him beyond fifty fights in his career.

As one fighter seemed to revitalize his career at age forty, another fighter looked to further cement her legacy. Yours truly is referring to undefeated three-division world champion Clareasa Shields, who after becoming an undisputed world champion as a Jr. Middleweight and Middleweight, the latter of which she still holds, made another jump up in weight to challenge Women's WBC Heavyweight world champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.

The flight, which was held in Detroit, MI at the Little Caesars Arena, was essentially a hometown fight for Shields, who is from Flint, MI. In addition to the WBC Heavyweight world championship, the vacant Women's WBO Light-Heavyweight world championship was also at stake, giving Shields the opportunity to become a five-time world champion in five divisions in a single fight.

Although when a fighter is making a move up in weight as Shields was, the standard question of how that fighter will respond to being hit by fighters who are used to competing at heavier weights, was asked prior to this encounter, the reality is Shields did not give the champion an opportunity to test her ability to take a punch. This was due to Shields being able to showcase her hand speed early. In the second round, the challenger would drop the champion with a three punch combination that sent  Lepage-Joanisse down to the canvas. Shields followed up with two more knockdowns forcing the fight to be stopped giving the future Hall of Famer and two-time Olympic Gold medalist another accolade tonadd to her legacy. 

There is simply not much to say here other than Shields saw her opening, took full advantage, and closed the show. While this victory was only the third knockout in Shields’ professional career, she did show that she has punching power even though knockouts in Women's Boxing remain rare due largely to the fact that rounds are only two minutes in duration, and only recently has the transition to three minute rounds been used on a selective basis, but has been used and is currently being used in women's bouts in the ongoing Olympics. It is something this observer has long advocated for to see three minute rounds become the standard in Women's Professional Boxing, the same as Men's bouts.

Nevertheless, Shields did not need three minute rounds in this fight and got the job done. The obvious question remains, however, for Shields. After being so dominant for her entire career and now having successfully moved up to Heavyweight to further her legacy, is there an opponent out there in Boxing that can compete with Shields, and furthermore, how much more can she accomplish? This observer cannot give an answer…

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1  

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1  

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1 

Joyce-Chisora: A Crossroads Heavyweight Battle

There is an old saying that this observer firmly believes in. “A Fighter Is Always One Punch Away From Revitalizing Their Career." While that can be applied to the entire sport, it is especially true with regard to the Heavyweight division. After all, if one were to go through the history of the division, no matter the era, you would find along with the various world champions that dominated a certain period, several fighters who had opportunities to fight for world titles and came up short, or others who spent their careers on the fringe or contender level that continued competing for years in search of an opportunity that for some never came.

The one thing that you will find as you research is there are some fighters whom either because of age, or issues having to do with ability to continue competing at or near the top of the sport, are written off at some point by various pundits and Boxing scribes. While such statements do not always prove to be accurate, where the fighter ends up getting the last laugh on his or her skeptics that say they should retire, it is very much a case by case scenario.

In present times, two Heavyweights that one might argue fit that description are former European Heavyweight champions and contenders Joe Joyce and former  multi-time world title challenger Derek. Two men who will meet in a crossroads Heavyweight bout on Saturday, July 27th at the O2 Arena in London, England in a fight that can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+. The question going into this fight could be what does either fighter have left in them?

In this case, we are discussing a scenario of one fighter, who just a few years ago, was viewed by many as potentially the next dominant Heavyweight going against a true veteran, who has worked his way back into contention on more than one occasion after suffering setbacks over the course of a seventeen year career. What makes this a crossroads battle is while Joyce was the fighter that was viewed as a potential dominant World Heavyweight champion in the making, both he and Chisora are each trying to rebuild following setbacks.

For Joyce, “Knockout Artist" with a near 94% career knockout percentage, his setback came in the form of suffering back to back knockout losses at the hands of top contender Zhilei Zhang last year. While those losses represent the only defeats in Joyce's eighteen fight professional career, the knockouts he suffered at the hands of Zhang were brutal and sometimes it is not the number of fights one has, but rather what happens in those fights that can take a lot out of a fighter. Joyce was able to take the initial step forward in trying to bounce back in March of this year when he scored a tenth round knockout of Kash Ali.

As for Derek Chisora, a career that began in 2007 and has seen numerous ups and downs including challenging former longtime Heavyweight world champion Vitali Klitschko in February 2012 for the WBC World Heavyweight crown, appeared to reach its end when Chisora after forty-five professional fights in his career got one last attempt at the WBC crown and was stopped in his third fight with then WBC champion Tyson Fury in December 2022. Chisora, however, returned to the ring in August of last year and scored a ten round unanimous decision over fellow longtime contender Gerald Washington.

If one were to look at bare statistics to compare between Joyce and Chisora, one could give an edge to the younger and theoretically fresher fighter based largely on the fact that Joyce has scored knockouts in fifteen of his sixteen career wins. The thing that will make this interesting, however, is the experience of Chisora in that he has foug\ht several fighters that were known as power punchers and, though he has suffered some knockout losses, he has shown that he can compete effectively when he is at a theoretical disadvantage. The question for him will not only be what he has left, but also, was he able to learn anything about how Zhang approached his encounters with Joyce that he might be able to use in this fight.

Derek Chisora is a fighter that applies pressure from the opening bell and tries to get on the inside of his opponents and look to gradually break them down. While Chisora is a different style of fighter than Zhilei Zhang, he is consistent and does have punching power of his own having scored twenty-three knockouts in his thirty-four wins. Whether Chisora at 6’1 ½ can get on the inside of the 6’6 Joyce remains to be seen. 

At least on paper, Joyce seems to have the advantage standing 6’6 and an eighty inch reach compared to Chisora’s seventy-four inch reach. The question for him will be whether those knockouts at the hands of Zhang have taken something out of him and how he will be able to withstand Chisora’s pressure. Although some might see this encounter as a win or go home scenario, the reality is one can never count any fighter out in the Heavyweight division and the question here might be who will take a step forward and who will wait for another opportunity down the line.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

Joyce vs. Chisora takes place on Saturday, July 27th at the O2 Arena in London, England. The fight can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 3:30PM ET/12:30PM PT.

For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com.

(*Card and Start Time Subject To Change.*)

(*Check your local listings Internationally.*)

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison  

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1    

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1  

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1 

DAZN AND MATCHROOM ANNOUNCE MORE GLOBAL ADDITIONS TO GROWING FALL FIGHT SCHEDULE

 

Credit: DAZN

 

Mikey Garcia vs. Sandor Martin on Saturday, October 16

 

Dillian Whyte vs. Otto Wallin on Saturday, October 30

 

Joseph Parker vs. Derek Chisora II on Saturday, December 18

 

 

Press Release: By DAZN – September 16, 2021: DAZN and Matchroom have announced three premium fights nights to add to an ever-increasing fall fight schedule, live and worldwide on DAZN:

 

• October 16: Former four-weight World ruler Mikey Garcia returns to action against European Super-Lightweight champion Sandor Martin at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, CA.

 

• October 30: WBC interim champ Dillian Whyte faces Swedish fighter Otto Wallin, live from The O2 in London and worldwide on DAZN.

 

• December 18: Heavyweights Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora rematch in another epic clash, live worldwide on DAZN (except New Zealand and Samoa).

 

First, four-weight king Mikey Garcia is back in action on Saturday October 16 at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, CA and tackles European Super-Lightweight champion Sandor Martin. Garcia steps through the ropes for the first time since defeating Jessie Vargas in Frisco, TX in February 2020 and the California man welcomes Spaniard Martin to his home state, with Martin coming into the fight on the back of two successful defenses of his European 140lbs strap. Garcia-Martin will be live worldwide on DAZN and tops a stacked card featuring World title action and hot prospects to be announced shortly.

 

Two weeks later, ‘The Body Snatcher’ Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) returns to the ring on Saturday, October 30, at The 02 in London, facing off against Swedish heavyweight Otto Wallin (21-1-0-1, 14 KOs). The Brixton native avenged his previous defeat with a statement round 4 TKO against veteran Alexander Povetkin and reclaimed the WBC interim heavyweight title. Wallin continues his good form coming into the fight, having beaten Dominic Breazeale and Travis Kauffman after a unanimous decision loss against two-time world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN.

 

Credit: DAZN

And, on Saturday, December 18, Joseph Parker (29-2, 21 KOs) faces off against the mercurial Brit Derek Chisora (32-11, 23 KOs) in a rematch of their 12-round war in May 2021. Parker, the former WBO heavyweight champion, has tallied five straight wins since losing against Dillian Whyte for the WBO International heavyweight title. Derek ‘War’ Chisora is looking to bounce back after losing by split decision against the Parker and by unanimous decision against Oleksandr Usyk by unanimous decision in October 2020. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (with the exception of New Zealand and Samoa).

 

Credit: DAZN

Ed Breeze, EVP Rights at DAZN, said: “These three excellent fights are a testament to the great partnership that continues to flourish with Matchroom globally. Our schedule for the rest of the year is shaping up nicely and filled with world champions, grizzled veterans, and exciting up-and-coming talent. We look forward to continuing to unveil more blockbuster fight nights as part of our ongoing commitment to deliver value to boxing fans worldwide.”

 

Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn said: "Matchroom and DAZN's stacked upcoming schedule just got even better with these three blockbuster additions. First up on October 16 four-weight king Mikey Garcia returns to action in a difficult assignment against Barcelona's European Super-Lightweight Champion Sandor Martin in Fresno, CA. 'The Body Snatcher' Dillian Whyte returns home to The O2 on October 30 to put his Interim WBC Heavyweight World Title against Otto Wallin - the man that came so close to inflicting a loss on Tyson Fury. Then on December 18 Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora go to war again at Manchester Arena. Catch it all live and exclusively around the world on DAZN."

 

Full card details will be released soon. 

 

Other major matchups this fall on DAZN include the heavyweight clash of the year between unified champion Anthony Joshua, who will be putting his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO World Titles on the line against former cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in in London on September 25. Meanwhile, live boxing makes its return to Italy on October 1 as local star Daniele Scardina continues his hunt for a world title fight when he takes on Juergen Doberstein for the WBO Intercontinental super middleweight title in Milan. And, on October 9, the south of Liverpool takes on the north as Liam Smith faces off against fellow Liverpudlian Anthony Fowler in a hugely competitive domestic fight, live from the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool.

 

Material and Photos Courtesy of: DAZN Used with permission.

 

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.