"Expect a thriller" - Eddie Hearn on the Derek Chisora vs. Kubrat Pulev rematch

Derek Chisora's return will be on July 9 at The O2 in London, England, where he'll face Kubrat Pulev in a rematch.

The two heavyweights previously shared the ring in Hamburg, Germany back in 2016. In that bout, the Bulgarian proved to be more dominant than the Brit and was awarded the winner after 12 rounds of boxing.

Despite a fairly convincing performance from Pulev, the fight ended in a split decision. While two judges scored it 118–110 and 116–112 in Pulev's favor, the third ruled it 115–113 for Chisora.

With an abundance of rematches taking place in boxing, this is another exciting second-part thriller set to materialize next month. Matchroom Boxing chief Eddie Hearn has dubbed the bout as "total carnage" and revealed his excitement for the rematch.

In a press release, Hearn said:

“I’m delighted to get this fight over the line. Initially, we worked on some other opponents for Derek, but this fight came out of nowhere a few days ago and I absolutely love it!"

He added:

“I think the strapline, ‘Total Carnage’, is absolutely perfect for this fight, in terms of the build-up and in terms of the fight itself. Expect the unexpected but expect a thriller at The O2 on July 9.”

Chisora was expected to fight Adam Kownacki or Chris Arreola next, but talks broke down and the opportunity for a rematch with Pulev arose.

In their first fight, the carnage began in the pre-fight build-up. While facing off, Chisora and Pulev were forced to separate after the Brit grabbed hold of Pulev’s head.

The carnage continued during the weigh-ins when Derek Chisora was punched in the face by a Bulgarian fan, resulting in him charging into the audience.

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Will history repeat itself for Derek Chisora?

With Derek Chisora coming off the back of three consecutive defeats, the Brit can't afford to suffer another defeat in his career.

Pulev proved to be the better boxer in their first outing, but he is now 41 years old and suffered a second career loss in 2020 to Anthony Joshua. The Bulgarian may have just one more big fight left in his experienced career and will aim to perform at his best.

Chisora, on the other hand, has a love for fighting. Despite the volume of defeats on his record, it's likely that he won't retire just yet. The heavyweight currently holds a record of 32-12.

The British brawler always portrays heart when he fights, which could be enough to claim his revenge on July 9.