Derek Chisora promises to “drown” Otto Wallin and admits he would stop at 100 fights, not 50, if it were up to him

Billed as Derek Chisora’s last ever UK press conference, this afternoon’s meeting between Chisora and Otto Wallin was by turns a celebration of the Londoner’s career and an attempt to squeeze the last drips of weirdness and aggression from a 41-year-old who appears to be running on empty at this late stage. 

Chisora, who fights Wallin in a 10-rounder on Saturday (February 8) in Manchester, showed up to the press conference wearing a cowboy hat and swaying to the country music which soundtrack his walk to the top table. On his hat, too, there was a ribbon for Reform UK, a political party, and it was to their leader, Nigel Farage, Chisora offered his opening thank you and shout out. 

After that, he got down to business in his own inimitable way, telling the media, “This is a big fight for me and for ‘The Viking,’” before going off on his first tangent to suggest that Wallin, whose nickname is of course ‘The Viking’, cannot be an actual Viking on account of the Swede now living in New York. This makes him a New Yorker, not a Viking, Chisora pointed out. He then said, “I’m buzzing for this fight. It’s going to be one exciting fight, I can tell you that now. Do not sit down because we’re going to drown this guy. We’re going to go hard. I know for a fact he hasn’t trained the way I expect him to train for me, so I’m excited. I just want to fight.”

Torn, one suspects, between wanting the fight to get here, and wanting fight week to last forever, Chisora knows that, having promised to retire when he reaches 50 fights, he is currently experiencing a lot of things now for the last time. This, for example, could be his final fight week in England. It could also have been his final pre-fight press conference there.

“Before I came to Manchester my wife said to me, ‘Just go and enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about anything. Just enjoy yourself,’” Chisora said. “I’ve been trying to enjoy it but at the same time it’s very emotional because I love this game so much. I love the ups and downs of it, the losing, the enjoyment, everything. It’s difficult to leave boxing if you’re not told to leave it. I was told to leave it at 50 fights, so I have to leave it at 50 fights. But if it was up to me, I’d have gone to 100.”

Although Wallin respects Chisora, and understands why this fight is so Chisora-heavy in terms of coverage, he remains more focused on his own career and game plan than those of other heavyweights. It is for this reason he calls this fight against Chisora a “perfect” one for him stylistically and why he stayed focused during this afternoon’s press conference despite the efforts of Chisora and the people working for Chisora to drag something from him. 

“I like Derek, he’s a good talker,” said Wallin, 27-2 (15). “He’s probably a lot better at talking than me, so he can keep talking here and I’ll do my talking in the ring. He has a lot of pressure on him. This is supposed to be his last fight in the UK. It’s at a big arena. I try not to put too much pressure on myself. I just put in the work in the gym and then go out there and perform.”

Reminded that Chisora had previously questioned his heart, Wallin, 34, became about as animated as he was ever likely to get. “It’s been working as great motivation for me,” he said in response. “Any time training got tough I just remembered what he said and felt like I am going to go in there and show him. It has been great motivation to push through those hard moments in training. I think it’s going to show in the fight.”

Whether it will indeed be Chisora’s last fight in the UK, or merely his latest, remains to be seen, but there is certainly a sense that he is nearing the end and that he has run out of not only punches but things to say. This became clear this afternoon, on a day when everybody was sitting around waiting for Chisora to do that Chisora thing only for Chisora to for once disappoint.

“Otto Wallin can play poker; he’s got a good poker face,” he said. “But really and truly I’ve sat her 49 times and they all say the same thing. I know for a fact that when I get in there I love pain, I love war, so I’m excited for it. The only fighter who actually stood there toe to toe with me was Dillian (Whyte). I don’t think he’s going to stand toe to toe. He’s going to run. That’s why we chose a smaller ring. You can’t run anywhere now.”

One wonders if Derek Chisora, 35-13 (23), feels similarly trapped and unable to escape.