Mum knows best for Derek Chisora as fight is saved after ring walk dispute

Derek Chisora has agreed to walk to the ring first before his heavyweight showdown against Joseph Parker after intervention from his mother, according to the Briton’s manager David Haye.

A disagreement over who would walk to the ring last at the Manchester Arena on Saturday night erupted after the fighters weighed in on Friday afternoon, with Haye losing a coin toss on behalf of his client.

Chisora had moments earlier threatened to “go home” if he had to come out before Parker, who duly chose to have his ring entrance after his rival, but a potentially tricky situation has been diffused.

“I didn’t see this fight happening with Derek walking into the ring first, but thankfully the voice of reason came in,” Haye told Sky Sports. “Viola – Derek’s lovely mother – is the only person he actually listens to.

“I spoke to Viola about an hour ago and she said ‘I told him he’s going to come to the ring first like he promised and that’s that. I talked to Derek and he agreed, he’s agreed that’.”

Haye, an ex-cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion who beat Chisora in a fiery contest in 2012 before they became unlikely partners, revealed it is not the first time they have had to get his former foe’s mother involved.

“We’ve actually had to use Derek’s mother in the past in certain situations where we’ve been trying to get Derek to do what we all believe is the right thing and he’s not having it,” Haye added.

“We’ve had to phone his mother and say ‘can you talk to Derek because, if he doesn’t do this, this is going to happen’. So far she’s always come up trumps so I’m really happy about that.

“The fight is 100 per cent on. Derek will be walking into the ring first, as he should have done because he lost the coin toss and we’ve got ourselves a fight.”