With German veteran Christian Hammer testing positive for COVID-19 and now out of next Saturday’s scheduled fight with Dave Allen on the Usyk-Chisora undercard, Allen has a new opponent in American Christopher Lovejoy.
“I’m looking forward to this fight with Chris,” said Allen. “He’s positioned 15th with the WBA and I’d love to take that world ranking. He’s a big, strong man and just look at his record, he’s done what’s been asked of him in those 19 fights. There’s not much footage of him, so I don’t know really know what I’m preparing for which adds to the intrigue, but I’m going in there to do a number on him.”
This is a very favorable view of the 19-0 (19 KO) record of Lovejoy, who is 36 years old and has fought every single one of his pro fights in Tijuana, every single one of them against an opponent with a losing record or making his pro debut, except for Jorge Alfredo Leal back in 2017. The fact that this man is ranked by the WBA is just completely farcical. His record is so weak that even at 19-0, BoxRec have him No. 443 in the world, and No. 128 in the United States among heavyweights.
Promoter Eddie Hearn’s comments even admit that this could be a farce, if you read closely enough and work your way around the salesmanship.
How to Watch Usyk vs Chisora
Date: Saturday, Oct. 31 | Start Time: 2:00 pm ET
Location: SSE Arena, London, England
TV: Sky Box Office (UK) | Stream: DAZN
Live Online Coverage: BadLeftHook.com
“This is fascinating,” said Hearn. “Here we have this giant in Christopher Lovejoy that has amassed 19 wins with 19 KOs against limited opposition and has somehow found himself in the world top 15. The truth is, he might be an absolute beast or he may get found out but for Dave Allen it’s a huge opportunity. There will be plenty of eyeballs on this fight and if Dave can get the win he will force himself into the world rankings and land a major fight in 2021. I have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen but I’m excited to find out!”
As for Lovejoy — who is 6’5” and has had listed weights anywhere between 236 and 317 — he’s getting to see what fighting somewhere other than Tijuana is like, and yes, it is a big chance for him.
“I’m here to shock the world and show what Chris Lovejoy is really about,” he said. “Dave will end up number 20 on my record. I’ve traveled a long way so I just hope he shows up!”