Tyson Fury's former trainer Ben Davison has explained how Derek Chisora can cause a massive upset in the odds and dethrone Tyson Fury on Saturday night.
The boxing coach brought Fury down from around 400lb to fighting shape in 2018, and cornered him all the way until his rematch with Deontay Wilder in 2020. He has been credited as a key player in the heavyweight champion's return, and has remained close with his former student despite being replaced by SugarHill Steward prior to Fury's second world title win.
Davison is respected as one of British boxing's best trainers, and believes there is a strategy that Chisora could utilise to overcome the huge challenge he faces against Fury at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend. The pair have fought twice before in 2011 and 2014, with Fury winning both, including by decisive stoppage in their rematch.
"The first thing you'd say, it's difficult with Derek's age but it would be 'you're boxing a tall fighter you want to make yourself low and have Tyson punching down at you'," Davison explained during an appearance on BT Sport's broadcast of the open workout this week. "That actually will take away someone's reach if they're punching down.
"If you're reaching out to something that's head height you can reach farther than if you're going downwards, obviously. So you try and take away an element of his reach by doing that, make yourself a harder target. Often when someone is lower they're chasing the head with a jab you've got more of an opportunity of going over the top of it.
"But it's a hard task and it massively depends on how Tyson approached the fight, which I don't think any of us actually know at this moment in time. If he looks to maintain distance with small steps and maintain the distance and bring Derek on to the shots, it's a difficult, difficult night for Derek.
"But if Tyson wants to go out there and make it entertaining and have a scrap, it becomes a lot more of a competitive fight as silly as that may sound. He may clip Derek early, but there's a chance the vice-versa Derek can get something off as well."
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Fury is fighting for the second time this year in what will also be his second UK stadium event. He is a considerably more popular fighter on home soil in his second reign as heavyweight champion than he was in his first in 2015, which Davison believes may play a mental factor going forward.
"Before I started working with Tyson he was unified heavyweight champion of the world," he added. "He dethroned Wladimir Klitschko but I think we know where he was mentally, physically, all the rest of it and I don't think he was the most beloved athlete at that time.
"I think he might not admit this even now but I think that affected him at that moment in time, after going on and reaching the pinnacle of the sport you would expect to be appreciated for that work. I think that on the comeback that he made he almost took the mask off, revealed who he truly was inside and ever since then he's become a fan favourite which shows in him selling out stadiums and all the success he has outside of the ring as well as in it."
