Oleksandr Usyk v Dereck Chisora: Betting preview and free tips

Recommended bets

3pts Oleksandr Uysk by unanimous decision at 7/4

1pt George Kambosos Jr to win in rounds 7-12 at 9/1

4pts Marshall-Rankin to go the distance at 4/5

Dereck Chisora has come back from the brink more times than a character in a horror movie and it really will be the stuff of Hollywood if he can upset Oleksandr Uysk on Halloween.

So often the pantomime villain in these shows, 'Del Boy' has become more accustomed to being cast as the fan favourite during his Indian summer and his impressive resurgence has earned him a leading role opposite one of the sport’s brightest talents. Chisora is aiming to inflict the second shock defeat on a Ukrainian pound-for-pound contender in the space of a fortnight after lightweight king Vasyl Lomachenko was dethroned by Teofimo Lopez, but the odds are stacked against the home fighter.

On the first Matchroom show of a six-week residency at the Wembley Arena, there has seemingly been little interest in the 11/2 about the local man and most see this as an opportunity for Usyk to showcase what he can do at heavyweight ahead of an assault on the world titles in 2021.

Having picked up European, World and Olympic gold during a stellar amateur career, he raced to a world title after just 10 paid outings and went on to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion when landing the World Boxing Super Series in ultra-impressive fashion. He signed off in the 200lb division by knocking out Tony Bellew in Manchester before a heavyweight debut win over Chad Witherspoon last November and arrives with a perfect 17-0 record as a professional.

Similar to his good friend Lomachenko, it's not just what he has achieved but the manner in which he has done so and, unlike Chisora who has often relied on antics outside the ring, his ever-growing fanbase is purely down to his sublime skills under the bright lights. It's rare to see a man of his size move so well and everything he does comes on the back of his sublime footwork, with his ability to move in and out of range at speed, as well as to change direction, something we are used to seeing only at the lower weights. Add that to his fast hands, tremendous accuracy and the awkwardness of being a southpaw, and you are left with a very tricky puzzle to solve.

Given the difference in skill set, why is there so much interest in the fight? This is all down to Usyk having to prove himself against the big boys, especially after his far-from-inspiring first outing at heavyweight. He looked laboured at times against a semi-retired 38-year-old in Witherspoon, taking a while to get going having been expected to shine, but it is hard to say whether that was down to the extra weight or struggling to get up for a late replacement he didn't fear. Chisora is the perfect heavyweight yardstick and a lot of questions will be answered about whether Usyk can go all the way in the glamour division this weekend.

The Finchley slugger (32-9) is arguably in the form of his life and following a career-best win against Carlos Takam, he was ahead on two scorecards when knocked out by Dillian Whyte in the 11th round of their rematch and has rebounded with three good wins (two early). Undoubtedly fitter and hitting harder than ever since linking up with former foe David Haye, he is certainly capable of exposing any physical flaws in Usyk at this new weight if allowed to get close enough. That is a big 'if', however, and it could prove a very frustrating night for Chisora as he attempts to get in range.

The underdog will be marching forward from the get-go in a bid to get inside, where he is immensely strong and can fire away with his big shots. He won't mind what he hits - head, body, arms or shoulders - in an attempt to slow his opponent down, but these opportunities could prove very rare for the 36-year-old, as one thing he has always struggled with is a moving target and these are the best feet he has come up against. This newer, heavier-handed version of Chisora is also a slower one and this will be music to the ears of the dancing Ukrainian, who is a master at controlling the distance, and the adept counterpuncher is expected to be regularly picking his man off on the way in before pivoting out of range.

There is no doubt Chisora is the stronger man here, but he is not one of the many giants lurking in the heavyweight waters and Usyk actually boasts an inch and a half height advantage, as well as a four-inch longer reach. The latter also dominated current unbeaten heavies Joe Joyce and Junior Fa in the World Series of Boxing (five rounds with no headguards) prior to turning pro, to give confidence he can be a real force at the weight.

While Chisora is 4-0 against opponents listed as southpaw, it is worth noting that Tyson Fury boxed long periods as a 'leftie' in their 2014 rematch when bamboozling and wearing Chisora down until he was retired by his corner at the end of the 10th round. A similar scenario is very possible here as while Usyk doesn't have concussive power, especially at heavyweight, he could be hitting a tiring Chisora too often and too accurately in the later rounds and force the corner or referee to intervene. Those in favour of that outcome are advised to go with the 9/4 about the favourite halting his man after halfway, rather than the 11/10 about a Usyk stoppage at any time.

However, the safer bet looks to see Usyk prevail on points, a 6/4 chance which can be boosted to 7/4 if opting for it to be by unanimous decision. Chisora has only been stopped by huge punchers or huge men (Haye, Whyte and Fury) and has shown he can stand up to heavy punishment, going the distance with the likes of Vitali Klitschko and upcoming Anthony Joshua opponent Kubrat Pulev. Also, Usyk is not known as a fast starter, as he likes to take a look at his opponent early on before making the necessary adjustments and stepping it up as the fight goes on, so the resolve of Chisora may not begin to be chipped away at until few rounds in.

Usyk is likely to be landing more regularly the longer the fight goes on, to rack up the rounds on the scorecards, with the Brit's natural weight advantage and rock-solid chin fancied to be enough to see him through to the final bell.

An eliminator for the aforementioned Lopez's IBF lightweight belt features on the undercard and the bookies are struggling to split Lee Selby and George Kambosos Jr.

Having opened up odds-on, the Welshman is now a 5/4 chance as continued support for the visitor sees Kambosos a top price of 4/5 now as opinion grows that Selby may be further past his best than originally thought.

This appears to be all about what the former IBF featherweight champion has left in the tank, as he moved up two divisions after losing that belt to Josh Warrington and has yet to fully convince at 135lb. His second lightweight outing saw him outpoint Ricky Burns when last seen a year ago, when using his slick skills and fancy feet to race into a big lead before just hanging on as the Scot finished with a flurry. The best of Selby should have too much experience and ability to stick-and-move his way to a points victory (7/4) over the unbeaten Australian, but those days may be long gone for the 33-year-old who hasn't looked particularly in love with the game in recent years.

Kambosos (18-0) dropped former champion Mickey Bey in the last session of their 10-rounder to claim a career-best win on the cards last time and the aggressive 27-year-old will be bringing heat for the full 12 rounds here, as he likes to be on the front foot and look for the big shots. Counter-puncher Selby has always relished such a style but he really struggled to keep a 36-year-old Burns off after halfway and, with another 12 months on his legs and up against a younger lion here, an early lead could quickly be eroded as things heat up.

Although Kambosos after 12 rounds (11/8) is the more likely outcome, if the thinking that Selby is on the decline proves correct then he could be overwhelmed late in the fight, and it looks worth chancing Kambosos to get the stoppage in the second half at 9/1.

There is all-British world title action in London as England's Savannah Marshall takes on Hannah Rankin of Scotland for the vacant WBO female middleweight belt.

Marshall claimed World and Commonwealth gold in a glittering amateur career and remains the only person to defeat the brilliant Claressa Shields, having outpointed the American in 2012. A lucrative rematch with Shields could be on the cards if she makes it nine wins from as many paid starts, but this is a definite step up for the Hartlepool fighter.

Rankin boasts more experience in the professional ranks and has mixed in good company, including going the distance with Shields in a previous world title tilt and showing her durability in the process. She is, however, arguably more effective at 154lb and has to concede size and height to Marshall, who is three inches taller and has boxed up at 168lb.

That, and Marshall's class advantage, can tell and she can claim the belt via the scorecards. Although with that outcome at 10/11 and either to win on points just slightly shorter at 4/5, the latter option is preferred in a bout fancied to go to the distance of 10 two-minute rounds.

Posted at 0955 GMT on 30/10/20

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