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By Johnny Walker
Up and coming Polish bad boy heavyweight Artur “The Pin” Szpilka, who comes to the ring dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, usually accompanied by sexy strippers dressed as policewomen, was impressed by both the antics and the fighting of the UK’s Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora in his loss to Vitali Klitschko last Saturday in Munich.
Szpilka, 22, knows something about bad behavior: he once did a stretch in a Polish prison for soccer hooliganism. And he recognizes something of a kindred spirit in Chisora, who slapped WBC champ Klitschko at the weigh-in for their fight, spit water in his brother Wladimir’s face in the ring, and brawled with UK rival David Haye at the post-fight press conference.
“It was ugly and unsportsmanlike, but … very effective,” Chisora tells Polish publication Super Express of Chisora’s wild antics.
“It was a tactical move by Chisora. After these incidents, Klitschko was very guarded, tense, boxing a lot less effectively than usual. The truth is, that it was one of the two or three toughest fights of his career.
“Chisora was going forward all night. In contrast to earlier rivals, he showed he was not scared of the Ukrainian, and thought he could win. If after spitting at Wladimir he was knocked out in the second or third round, he would have made a fool of himself, like David Haye. But Chisora fought with a lot of balls.
“Even with his spitting: instead of doing it quickly and fleeing, he spat slowly, like a whale, right in the face of Wladimir!”
Szpilka blames David Haye for the brawl at the presser, saying that the former WBA heavyweight champion was only there to cause trouble.
I am not surprised that [Chisora] reacted,” says Szpilka.
“Blame Haye, who came there just to provoke Chisora. Had at the press conference after my fight [Tomasz] Adamek came and taunted me, I would punch him!”
Szpilka next fights on the “Heavyweight Regeneration” card, March 24 in Atlantic City, along with his Polish counterpart Mariusz Wach and rising British star David Price. After that, The Pin says he would love to get in the ring for a bout with Dereck Chisora.
“I called around to my promoter Andrew Wasilewski, asking if I could arrange a duel [with Chisora]. That would be a great fight of two bullies, and the action would be not only in the ring, but also at the weigh-in and press conferences.
“It is possible that this would be two or three fights,” Szpilka joked.
