Fight Pick & Preview – Chisora vs. Scott:
On Saturday, hometown heavyweight Dereck Chisora looks to rebound from his smashing loss to David Haye, as he takes on American import Malik Scott. A win over Scott, a fighter unbeaten in 36 fights, puts Chisora back in the mix of a hot British heavyweight picture. Scott, meanwhile, is looking to put together his second eye-opening performance in an effort to become a legitimate contender.
- Date: July 20, 2013
- Site: Wembley Stadium, London, England
- Division: Heavyweights: 10 Rounds
Dereck Chisora, 16-4 (10 KOs), London, England
vs.
Malik Scott, 35-0-1 (12 KOs)
Scott looked pretty darned good in his last bout, also televised on the NBC Sports Network. He appeared to deserve a win over unbeaten Vyacheslav Glazkov, a rising heavyweight who had been building steam. Despite a glossy 35-0 record, Scott had fought such a low-caliber of opponent that it was hard to gauge how good he actually was. Sure, it looked like he could box well and he had a stellar amateur career, but it wasn’t until the Glazkov fight that people had a reason to regard Scott highly.
Scott only received a draw, but appeared to be the victim of a bad decision. Then again, it wasn’t that bad of a decision, in light of Scott letting his foot off the gas late, in sort of a mini version of Trinidad-De La Hoya, he opened himself up to that kind of decision. I suspect it was the last half of the fight that the Chisora people are banking on to get their man a much-needed victory.
“Del Boy” is in a slump, with only 2 wins over journeymen opponents in his last 6 fights. But going 2-4 only tells part of the story, at least for the purposes of this fight. He was overweight and uninspiring against Tyson Fury in 2011, en route to a decision loss.
A slimmer version of Chisora resurfaced later that year and was robbed outright in a “loss” to top-rated Robert Helenius. Chisora then fought admirably in a loss to Vitali Klitschko, becoming the only man to so much as push the WBC champ in years.
Chisora’s last fight was a 9th-round knockout of a journeyman from Argentina of little note. But before that, he was knocked out in a brutal display of power-punching from David Haye in a domestic grudge match. That’s not a good sign and even though Malik Scott is no puncher, you have to wonder if Chisora is beginning to slip.
Chisora does have some elements in his favor. He has tangled with the far better opposition–so much that you have to give even a depreciated version of Chisora a chance in this fight. He can punch well and Scott depends more on skills. His biggest advantage may be that this is happening at Wembley, where Chisora is the “house” fighter.
Will Scott’s skills be able to overcome all this? This is his first fight outside of the United States and he’s facing perhaps his most difficult opponent. He fought well in his draw against Glazkov, but the Russian appeared to be at least a bit overrated. Now he’s facing the first guy in his 13-year pro career who has acquitted himself well at the top level.
I like Scott’s boxing ability and fighting spirit. He was pumped up against Glazkov and came through with a nice showing. For years, he had just been a guy who lurked in the deep background with a glossy record.
You’d see his results and it would always be a decision over some nondescript opponent. But then he took 4 years off and has resurfaced with a greater sense of urgency. He stopped 22-1 Bowie Topou in September of last year, then took on an unbeaten rising prospect and controlled most of the fight. The 32-year old Scott is as good as he’s ever been.
It’s unfortunate to have to say this, but this fight may very well come down to location. I see Scott dictating the fight, but will he get credit for it? Will the sloppy, ineffective aggression of Chisora provide justification for the judges to score it his way? A guy like Malik Scott is a fighter that can easily be victimized in a spot like this.
Prediction:
Scott will open the fight strongly and win some rounds. Strangely, despite a long pro career and being predominately a distance fighter, Scott has only been past the 8th round twice. Chisora should be coming on strong late.
If I were approaching this fight with a betting interest, I’d want to see the weigh-in to better gauge if Chisora is inspired coming into the fight. Let’s assume he is. I still see Malik Scott as being the more-skilled fighter who has enough wherewithal to handle the hard-hitting, but inconsistent Chisora.
Prediction: Malik Scott by unanimous decision.
