Dereck Chisora (R): Back on the trail for a world title shot
Dereck Chisora won the European heavyweight title after stopping Edmund Gerber in the fifth round at the Copper Box Arena.
The 29-year-old Brit was visibly emotional before the fight following skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/8919613/heavyweight-dereck-chisora-said-dean-powell-was-a-man-everybody-loved">the recent death of close friend Dean Powell, but managed to keep focused during a one-sided contest.
Chisora, who has now won three straight fights after four defeats in five, came into the bout at the lightest weight of his career and looked very sharp against an opponent who had lost just once in 24 fights.
"One of my main guys is not here any more. I cried a bit but kept my composure," Chisora told Box Nation of his mentor Powell.
He added: "I've been training every day. I told my team that I'm going to give myself three years in this game. The next time you see me I'll probably be hitting 15 stones.
"(I'll have) two days off the gym then I'll be back in the gym again. I'm better than all these fighters in Great Britain, I don't know why I let myself down (sometimes). I'm back to normal and I'll push on."
Chisora asserted himself straight away as a number of accurate uppercuts thudded into Gerber's chin.
He stayed on top in the early going and when he really started to unload with left and right hooks in round three, it looked like the end could be imminent.
But Gerber seemed to hurt Chisora with a beauty of a straight right in the fourth and the British fighter was noticeably more circumspect for the rest of that round.
Chisora was back on the attack in the fifth, however, pinning Gerber on the ropes with left hooks and overhand rights, prompting referee Guido Cavelleri to step in with nothing coming back from the German.
Source: Skysports
