British heavyweight Derek Chisora has his eyes set on Kiwi Joseph Parker as he prepares for his return to the ring.
Last week, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn stated he wanted 'Del Boy' to face Parker on April 21 (NZ time) at the O2 Arena in London.
Hearn originally wanted the fight to be on the undercard of Dillian Whyte's next bout, but that seems unlikely with Chisora vs Parker now firming as the main event.
Speaking about the prospect of fighting Parker for the first time, Chisora said he's ready for battle.
"I'm hearing Team Parker have been calling my name - that's easy to do when you're on the other side of the planet," he said.
"WAR Chisora is ready, I'm preparing for battle with whoever believes there are ready for WAR. If Team Parker want to take on this challenge, they know where they can find me."
Parker's promoter David Higgins is currently negotiating with Hearn, and a deal would likely have to be agreed on soon as the scheduled date is just over two months away.
Chisora, 35, last fought in December when he was knocked out by Whyte.
As Parker has also lost to Whyte, it makes the fight more intriguing as both fighters will search for a much-needed win to climb back up the heavyweight ranking.
Chisora has teamed up with well-renowned trainer Dave Coldwell to help get in shape for his next fight.
Coldwell, the former trainer of former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, said he couldn't wait to work more with Chisora.
"Boxing throws up plenty of surprises, and it was a real big surprise to get a call from David to work with Dereck," said Coldwell.
"He's adapted very quickly to life up here and settled in the gym, which shows that he's serious about his career. There is a real hunger to develop and improve."
Chisora has been a close friend of Bellew's for several years, with both men often ringside to support one another on fight nights.
"Dave has done amazing work with my good friend Tony Bellew and his other boxers," added Chisora.
"People know by now that I don't like to do things the conventional way. This is a new direction for me. I'm learning every day, I'm buzzing."
Chisora has had 38 career fights, winning 29 and losing nine, including twice each against Whyte and Tyson Fury, while Parker has fought 27 times and won 25.
Newshub.
Subscribe to Fight Club on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spotify, and all major podcast apps.
