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BOXER Dereck “War” Chisora has issued a passionate call for Zimbabweans to stay at home and compliment the Government’s efforts to contain the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus pandemic.
Chisora said this in a video he posted on Twitter, yesterday.
The boxer, who left the country when he was hardly 17, still speaks fluent Shona which he used in the video.
“Zimbabweans, I plead with you to stay indoors so that you stay safe from the coronavirus pandemic,” he said in Shona.
“This pandemic is very dangerous. It takes between five to seven days before killing you once you get infected.”
The 36-year-old Mbare-born Chisora said Zimbabweans are often tempted to go out.
“I know, it’s in us as Zimbabweans to always get tempted to go out to the market, board buses and going to parties.
“But, for now, let us suspend all that because this disease is like a whirlwind, it spreads and kills so many people at once.
‘’I plead with you to stay indoors and help the Government in its efforts to contain the ailment.”
Zimbabwe is in an extended lockdown after the Government added two more weeks from the initial three-week period which ended on Sunday last week.
All sporting activities, including boxing, have been put on hold as the country battles to contain the spread of the virus.
Chisora, like any other athlete the world over, is confined to home training since all sporting activities have been suspended in England.
He challenged for the WBC world heavyweight title in 2012 when he fought and lost to Vitali Klitschko.
He has held multiple heavyweight titles, including the British and Commonwealth titles from 2010 to 2011, and the European title from 2013 to 2014.
Meanwhile, David Haye believes Oleksandr Usyk has “miscalculated how good Derek Chisora is” and has warned the Ukrainian his fighter is in the best shape of his career ahead of their heavyweight clash.
The pair were due to meet at London’s O2 Arena on May 23, but the bout been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus.
Chisora and his manager, Haye, are now trying to get the fight moved to Saudi Arabia, with reports the Kingdom will lift their social restrictions sooner than Britain and the showdown could be held in the Middle East as soon as July.
And Haye sees trouble ahead for Usyk when he puts his WBO heavyweight mandatory status on the line against Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs). Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) wanted to get a tune-up in before he challenges IBF/WBA/WBO champion, Anthony Joshua.
“It’s frustrating but no more frustrating than it is for the Uskyk team. They are consummate professionals, and they’ll still be training, as Dereck is,” said Haye to Boxing Social.
‘’It’s obviously limited training that you can do in these times, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.
“It’s an unfortunate hiccup, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. You’ve got to play the best hand that you’ve been dealt.
‘’Dereck is in a good place. I did worry that this fight could get pulled a month or so ago. But here we are, the fight is postponed. We don’t have a date yet.
“The British Boxing Board of Controlwon’t sanction boxing matches in the UK, understandably. But I think the longer the fight doesn’t happen, the more conditioned and the more time Dereck has to prepare.
“He’s fighting someone skill-wise who is probably the best big man in the world. He’s in most people’s pound-for-pound top five. He’s (Usyk) at heavyweight now, and he’s had one fight at heavyweight. “I don’t believe he set the world on fire with his fight against Chazz Witherspoon, but he got the stoppage victory.
“Dereck Chisora is a whole different game than Witherspoon was. Witherspoon turned up on short notice and was blasted out there,” said Haye.
A win for Chisora is very much a possibility in this fight.
“Dereck Chisora is going to come in like a man possessed,” said Haye. “He’s living and breathing boxing like he should have done, but he’s doing it at the right time because he has the biggest challenge of his career.
“He’s 36-years-old, and he knows this is his last chance.
“Usyk is the #1 challenger, he’s ranked #1, and he’s the WBO mandatory for Joshua’s WBO title. So if Chisora can beat Usyk, he puts himself in a hell of a position to get that big fight against the WBO champ.
“It’s an exciting time for Dereck. He knows it. He’s eating clean, living the life, and that’s all I could ever hope for a fighter to give himself the best opportunity to win a fight when it finally does present itself.
“In the past, Dereck has gone off the rails after the fight. I don’t want to say ‘go off the rails.’
He’s not 100 percent disciplined in camp in the past, but when a fight was not scheduled,” said Haye.— Sports Reporter/Boxing247.com
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