David Haye and Dereck Chisora to fight at Upton Park

  • Published
Media caption,

Chisora and Haye's feud continues

David Haye and Dereck Chisora are to face each other in a fight sanctioned by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation on 14 July at Upton Park.

At a heated news conference, the British heavyweights exchanged insults as Haye vowed to beat Chisora.

The two fighters were involved in a brawl following Chisora's defeat by Vitali Klitschko in Munich in February.

The British Boxing Board of Control will not sanction the fight because neither man holds a British licence.

Speaking at the conference, where the two fighters were separated by a steel fence, Haye said: "He is the ideal opponent for me. I am so glad he has got a good chin because if he didn't have a good chin he would be blasted out in first round.

"I tried to knock him out in Munich and this is the opportunity to shut him up."

The 31-year-old Haye added: "This is definitely personal. We genuinely don't like each other. He has threatened to break my jaw, he has threatened to slap me.

"This fight is about eradicating boxing of an idiot. I will give him a nice, slow, concussive beating."

Chisora, who was surrounded by eight security guards, said: "I don't like him.

"Talk is cheap now. That was a lucky shot he hit me with in Munich. Your talk is cheap. You always talk but you don't deliver in the ring."

Media caption,

Frank Warren tells BBC Radio 5 live why he supports a Haye-Chisora fight.

The two men, whose news-conference clash three months ago is still being investigated by Munich police, revealed they had seen each other in London recently, with Chisora accusing Haye of having "pulled a knife". Haye responded: "I was eating a steak. It was in a restaurant."

Chisora had his licence withdrawn after a number of controversial incidents before and after the Klitschko fight - but he has appealed against the decision.

Among the controversies, the 28-year-old slapped Klitschko at the weigh-in and spat water at the Ukrainian's brother Wladimir before the contest.

Haye relinquished his licence when he retired in October last year, three months after losing his losing his WBA title to Wladimir in Hamburg.

Chisora's manager Frank Warren had previously said he would not go ahead with a fight between the two boxers.

However, he said he had changed his mind because Chisora's appeal against his licence withdrawal had been "pushed back to July".

Warren said: "What [Chisora] did was stupid and there should be some sort of punishment. But he will be out of action for six months and will lose money. Why should he not make a living?"

Chisora was granted a licence to fight by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation but Warren added that "a number of commissions" had been willing to do so.

Warren said he would not be taking a commission from Chisora for the fight, but would make money as a "shareholder" in the BoxNation subscription channel that will air the fight.

Media caption,

Dereck Chisora in bloody brawl with David Haye

When asked whether holding the event might threaten his own licence as a promoter with the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC), Warren said he hoped the organisation would not hold it against him.

"What I'm doing is legal and lawful," he said. "I have a managerial contract with Chisora, I have legal obligations to him and I won't have these compromised by the British Boxing Board of Control.

"When they made their decision, they said he was able to apply for a licence in another jurisdiction. That was said at the hearing, and that is what he's done."

Rival boxing promoter Frank Maloney told the BBC the fight "undermines the authority" of the BBBoC.

He said: "It's like the [English] FA. Would we see the Luxembourg FA coming over to the UK and starting their own league?

"If these two had not had the punch-up, no-one would talk about them."

He also said the BBBoC had "handled it wrong" and should have banned Chisora completely, instead of refusing to grant him a licence.

"If he was banned, the boards in Europe would have to follow and not give him a licence," he said.

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.