‘Gravy train has passed’ – Derek Chisora explains U-turn on Francis Ngannou showdown for Oleksandr Usyk fight

Derek Chisora no longer wants to step into the ring with Francis Ngannou.

Chisora secured the 36th victory of his 49-fight boxing career on Saturday, surviving a nasty cut to drop Otto Wallin twice en route to a unanimous decision win.

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‘Del Boy’ forced Wallin onto his heels for the majority of their Manchester bout and was the only one who landed any truly eye-catching punches.

Ahead of the fight, Chisora had mentioned former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou as one stunning option for his boxing farewell.

The 41-year-old also told talkSPORT in November that he was trying to push for a fight with the Cameroonian in Africa.

However, as he gears up for the last dance of his renowned boxing career, it seems Chisora’s mindset has shifted and he is now purely focused on one man.

“I think that the Choo Choo train has passed now,” Chisora told talkSPORT.com, speaking on a potential fight with Ngannou.

“The hype for me fighting him has died down,” he added. “Put it this way, AJ [Anthony Joshua] fighting Francis Ngannou is the same as Canelo [Alvarez] fighting Jake Paul.

“Do you understand? So I think that the gravy train for Francis Ngannou in boxing and trying it doesn’t work.”

YouTuber-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul was eyeing another big outing against Canelo Alvarez following his bout with heavyweight legend Mike Tyson last November.

Paul, incredibly, looked to have agreed a deal to face 168-pounds world champion Alvarez in May, but the fight was denounced by Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh.

Like Paul, Ngannou made his presence known in the boxing world with a blockbuster clash against a heavyweight icon.

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It is believed ‘The Predator’ had a dispute with UFC President Dana White over his contract before deciding to leave the promotion as their heavyweight champion.

Ngannou’s professional boxing debut came against none other than Tyson Fury, who claimed a razor-thin split-decision victory in their 2023 Saudi Arabia clash, despite being shockingly knocked down in the third round.

Five months later, Ngannou fought Anthony Joshua, but the result painted a completely different picture for the former’s future boxing career, as he was knocked out in the second round.

Joshua was then defeated by Daniel Dubois at Wembley, which meant he was ruled out to face the winner of the highly anticipated Fury vs Usyk rematch.

Chisora has now named Ukraine’s 38-year-old unified heavyweight champion Usyk, who holds the WBA (Super), WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight championships to his name, as the man he wants for his last-ever fight.

“That’s the biggest, yeah,” Chisora said when questioned on whether another clash with Usyk was a realistic proposition.

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Usyk beat Chisora via unanimous decision when the pair met at Wembley Arena in October 2020.

The Ukrainian named Chisora as the toughest opponent of his boxing career in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT this week.

“My last fight will be in Tottenham [Hotspur Stadium]…I’m pushing for Tottenham,” Chisora added.

“I’m not going to say [Usyk]. I’m manifesting it. I’m asking God for the opportunity.

“I’ve said to Frank [Warren], you know, now Oleksandr Usyk has to phone his boss and ask his boss if he can fight me.

“But that’s the fight I want.”

Although Chisora doesn’t fancy taking a fight in the octagon anytime soon, he believes there needs a boxing representative in the UFC soon.

“Now we need a boxer to go to UFC and try that and see if it works,” he added.

“Let me tell you something. Boxers are the biggest as p****** for getting kicked in the knees and shins.

“We ain’t going there boy. It’s hard enough already to get hit in the face but we’re going to be p****** and say you know what?

“Keep your cage. We don’t want to know it.”

Dubois defends his IBF heavyweight title against Joseph Parker later this month, with Usyk expected to face the winner.

Should Usyk overcome Dubois, this could leave a window open for Chisora to come in and fight the Ukrainian in what could be both men’s last-ever fight.