With boxing bout on hold, Dereck Chisora wants MMA debut in Bellator

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In the unlikeliest of crossovers, Dereck Chisora is keen on taking a MMA fight.

British heavyweight boxer Dereck Chisora wants to make his MMA debut due to his bout with Oleksander Usyk being postponed until a later date.

Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) was set to meet the undefeated former cruiserweight champion Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) at a London card on May 23rd that was cancelled due to the coronavirus. With the fight awaiting a new date, Chisora told BBC Sport that he wants to fit in a fight for Bellator before stepping in the ring to face Usyk.

“We are trying to sort dates for June or July,” Chisora said. “I see others do it and say ‘I want to try it one day’. Since Usyk has been postponed for a while, then if there’s a way I can do that for the time being.

“We’re waiting to see the date they give us for Usyk but if there’s a bigger gap we’re going to jump in to Bellator straight away.”

Despite his interest in the crossover, Chisora has no MMA experience under his belt. The 26-year-old has been a professional boxer since 2007.

A former opponent of his, Dillian Whyte, recently made headlines as UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou was interested in a boxing fight with “The Bodysnatcher.”