Heavyweight contender Dereck Chisora will no longer face an assault charge over an alleged fracas at a nightclub, a court has been told.
The 6ft 1.5in boxer, who has previously held heavyweight European, Commonwealth and British titles, stood outside the dock during the minute-long hearing as a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm was dropped.
Prosecutor Henry Fitch told London’s Westminster Magistrates Court: “There is one charge of ABH. The Crown withdraws the charge.”
Chisora, 33, of Hampstead, north west London, did not speak.
No applications for costs were made and nothing else was said in court.
The alleged incident happened at Tramp nightclub in west London in April.
The boxer quietly left court with his lawyer.
Chisora was scheduled to fight Robert Helenius on May 27 but that has been postponed owing to what his promoter Nisse Sauerland described as “a number of contributing factors”.
IN OTHER NEWS: Blackpool’s Adam Little (17-2, 5 KOs) takes on Darren Surtees (7-0, 5 KOs) on September 16th at the Echo Arena, Liverpool on the undercard of the World Boxing Super Series super middleweight quarter-final clash between Liverpool’s Callum Smith and Sweden’s Erik Skoglund.
“This is the opportunity I have been waiting for,” said Little. “I’ve always wanted to be part of the biggest shows. The World Boxing Super Series is absolutely fantastic for the sport of boxing; so it’s just great to be involved with it.”
Little, the former English and Central Area Welterweight Champion, has built an impressive resume which has seen him in multiple crowd-pleasing domestic dust-ups. But now, he revealed his delighted to finally receive an opportunity to box on the biggest stage.
Despite being aware of his opponent’s impressive punching power, Little believes he will have too much experience and skill for Surtees. However, the 26-year old also expressed his admiration for Surtees for his willingness to accept such a challenging fight at this stage of his career.
“Surtees is a very big puncher, as his record suggests. But I’m far more experienced than him and I’ve been up against a much higher level of opposition than he has. I think this fight is going to be one fight too soon for him, but he can come back and learn from it.”
“I just want so say fair play to him for taking the fight. Not many boxers of his age and experience would be willing to step up in class like he is here.”
“I’m not stupid… I know he’ll be coming in there trying to knock me out; and I’ll be prepared for that. This fight is guaranteed to be an absolute war, and the fans are in for a real treat!”
Surtees, the 22-year old from County Durham, has been making a big impression on the North East boxing scene with his recent run of knock-out victories.
He predicts the same result in the domestic Super Lightweight contest over eight rounds in Liverpool.
“I’ve got this reputation as a big puncher, but if I want to, I have the ability to outbox Little and beat him on points as well. I’m just going to demolish him in every single round. If the referee doesn’t stop the fight, I believe his corner will!”
Tickets are on sale now priced £35, £40, £60, £80, £100, £150, £200 and £350 (VIP) via Liverpool Echo Arena.
