To absolutely no one’s surprise, Derek Chisora’s last dance wasn’t his last fight after all.
Chisora was previously announced to retire after the fifteenth day of his fight with Deontay Wilder this past April in London. Chisora and IBA president Umar Kremlev announced on Tuesday that the British will return to the ring under the IBA banner in December in the UK.
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Although the exact time, venue and opponent were not immediately confirmed, Chisora said at a press conference in Istanbul that he hopes to have WBA champion Murat Gassiev in a corner opposite London or Manchester.
Gassiev fights under the IBA banner. He captured the WBA (World) title with a sixth-round knockout of Kubrat Pulev in July, and defended it against Peter Kadiru in July.
After Oleksandr Usyk dropped the belts, Gassiev was left as the only division titleholder and therefore the full champion – although this position will now be left in doubt, waiting for the WBA to add the “Super” title to the 11th of December. bout between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, leaving Gassiev as the secondary champion again.
“Derek said he wants to come and support the IBA, because he is happy with the way the IBA organizes the tournaments,” Kremlev said in a press conference. “And we promised him a pitch. So we are going to train Derek in England. Our doors are always open to anyone, and we are ready to arrange the highest levels in any country.”
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“What people need to understand is that what the IBA is doing is incredible,” Chisora said. “I believe this goes deeper than what we are doing here now. I believe it will get better and better. We will fight in December.”