Q: So firstly, tell us about how you got the opportunity to spar Usyk?
A: "Strangely enough, my services were called upon for the Usyk-Gassiev fight, I'll let you guys work out why that was the case."
Q: What were your first impressions of him as a man?
A: "Different but special."
Q: How did the first sparring session go with him?
A: "It was an interesting one. They weren’t happy with my style and asked me to box more like Gassiev, which was a tough ask considering I'm more of a rangey fighter, whereas Gassiev is a lot more come forward than me."
Q: What was the thing that surprised you most about him?
A: "How calm and composed he was in the ring. It was like boxing was effortless for him."
Q: What was the thing you found most difficult about sparring him?
A: "Him being a southpaw. At the time I hadn't shared the ring with another southpaw yet so to dive in at the deep end with one of the best southpaws on the planet was a little tricky for me however I learnt a heck of a lot from it."
Q: Did you spot any weaknesses of his during sparring?
A: "I found that I had a lot of success to the body and he didn't like it. If Chisora can exploit that weakness he's got a cracking chance of beating him."
Q: Do you believe he’s got what it takes to win a world title at heavyweight?
A: "Depends who he fights, I can't see him beating the likes of Fury & Joshua."
Q: How do you see the fight going with Chisora?
A: "It makes for a real good fight, your typical boxer vs brawler dust-up. I think Chisora could possibly cause a big shock and win by TKO!"
Dereck Chisora to win by TKO/KO or disqualification is priced at 11/2 - click here to claim this bet.
