Dereck Chisora was upset that his fight against former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker wouldn't be the headliner on Oct. 26 at the O2 Arena in London on DAZN. Then he was a man without an opponent after Parker had to pull out because of an illness suffered from what is believed to be from a spider bite.
Now Chisora can start his preparations for a new foe.
On Tuesday, it was revealed Chisora would take on fellow Englishman David Price and remain in the co-main event position. The main event of the card is a junior welterweight title unification bout between WBA champion Regis Prograis (24-0, 20 KOs) and IBF titlist Josh Taylor (15-0, 12 KOs) in a fight that's also the World Boxing Super Series final.
Chisora (31-9, 22 KOs) has won back-to-back fights, including his most recent outing, a second-round knockout of Artur Szpilka in July. For Chisora, Price is just another person standing in the way and is ready to hurt him.
"It didn’t matter who got in the ring with me on October 26th I’m ready for WAR," Chisora said in a press release. "Parker b—d out, it’s like he thinks he is Peter Parker, not Joseph Parker with his Spider-Man excuses. It’s cool, let him do his thing.
"David Price has stepped up, and I’m ready for whatever he brings. If he thinks I’m just going to stand there and be a punching bag like Dave Allen he is in for a shock. This is north versus south, and in my hometown I write the rules. Saturday 26th October get ready to scream TIMBER!"
Initially, Price (25-6, 20 KOs) was set to return on Nov. 23. He last fought on the same card as Chisora when he beat David Allen by 10th-round TKO to extend his winning streak to three. The 36-year-old understands the opportunity he's getting and plans on making the most of it.
“I'm very excited for this fight," Price said. "Dereck is a great competitor, and I’m sure he’ll bring the best out of me. I kept in the gym all summer because I had a feeling I had to be ready for a call like this and ready I am.”