DEREK CHISORA has parked his Smart car to focus all his road rage on smashing into Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday.
The 6ft, 18st fans’ favourite usually squeezes himself into the tiny motor to run errands, visit London gyms and pose for photos.
But in the final fortnight of camp, heavyweight Chisora beefed up the horsepower and handed over the reins.
With his chauffeur-driven 4×4 waiting outside the Hayemaker gym, the 36-year-old said: “A couple of weeks out from every fight, I put that Smart in the garage and get myself a big car and a driver.
“If I have been training hard all day, then it can be hard to concentrate in the car when you are driving yourself home.
“This close to a fight I just want to train and relax and keep myself and other drivers safe.
“It’s not about me being a danger on the road but you never know what can happen, it’s better to take no risks.”
The Chisora v Usyk build-up — which has been running most of the year after their original May date was postponed due to coronavirus — has not just been respectful, it has been hilarious.
Ukraine’s 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medallist and undisputed cruiserweight king uploaded an Instagram video of him running on the beach and shadow boxing, while growling “Derek! Where are you, Derek?”.
Fellow heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte then posted their own versions on social media, with Del Boy firing back with clips of his own to help lift lockdown spirits.
He said: “Usyk started it with the video of him running on the beach. I have seen fighters and people make their own versions now and when I have been out driving and shopping, have had people yelling ‘Derek!’.
“The whole country seems to have enjoyed it and, right now, people need that.
“This week people can forget their problems by enjoying the build-up, making predictions and the day after, can say to their friends ‘Did you see the fight? Wasn’t it unbelievable?’.
“People need fun things to take their attention right now, even just for a split second, because we are in the s***.”
A few weeks ago Chisora’s manager, David Haye, posted a video offering £100 to any heavyweight southpaw who could last a round — and a grand if they could floor him.
A few oddballs offered their services but Chisora insisted the reward for dropping him should have been £20,000.
View this post on InstagramDerek, catch up!
#usyk #loma #usykchisora #running
He said: “Guys turned up but nobody got the grand. I was never going to pay that.
“I had MMA middleweight Darren Till message me but he was too late — I even had cabbies knocking on the gym door.
“Everybody wants that £1,000 but I don’t get dropped in sparring — it was David’s money anyway.
“I would have £20,000 of my own money on the line and not get dropped in sparring, anyone could give it a go.”
Sounds like Smart money.
