Dereck Chisora says he will be taking Oleksandr Usyk’s “golden ticket” when they meet at the O2 Arena, London, on May 23.

Eddie Hearn, the promoter, says it is “all systems go” for the heavyweight clash, despite the worldwide sporting shutdown over coronavirus, with the Ukrainian putting his mandatory position for the WBO title at stake.

“I thank Oleksandr for taking this fight, he didn’t need to take it,” Chisora said. “I’m fighting one of the best guys out there. This guy knows how to box, I can’t find sparring partners that can box like him. He can dance around me 24/7. I need to land to slow him down.”

Chisora has been sparring with Bryant Jennings for the fight and David Haye, his manager, is planning to get as many quick sparring partners as he can get. But Chisora says there will be no great science to his plan in the ring.

“I will just chuck what I can chuck,” Chisora said. “I’m pumped. I just hope I don’t scare him too much that he pulls out. He’s got the golden ticket and I want to take it from him.

“The way he wins is to knock me out, but I will keep coming and keep coming. It’s going to be an uncomfortable place for him, but for me too. I’m ready to go down that road. I’m ready to go to the other side, I ready to die in the ring. I’m very motivated.”

Haye said that the delay in the fight, which had originally been planned for this month, would benefit Chisora.

“It has given Dereck an advantage the fight being pushed back,” Haye said. “It has given him six months of solid training. Week on week he has improved. It got to the stage we had to give him a two-week vacation.

“Unquestionably he is one of the best cruiserweights ever. But Dereck isn’t going to try and outbox Oleksandr Usyk, he is going to try and drag him into a dogfight.

“He’s a genuine pound-for-pounder and who would have thought a couple of years ago Dereck Chisora would be in with a chance in a fight like this.

“I don’t think Usyk is going to run, he is brave enough to hold his feet. I don’t believe he has been in as tough a fight as this. He has miscalculated. We are going to cause a massive, massive upset. He has made a mistake, he doesn’t know what Dereck is like.”

Alexander Krassyuk, Usyk’s promoter, said Chisora would be one of the biggest tests of Usyk’s career. “I think people are wrong when they say this will be an easy fight,” Krassyuk said.

“I’m really happy to be here and really hope this fight will take place,” said Usyk, who turned up wearing a black and white face mask for the press conference in London on Friday.

“He’s really a big guy and hits hard, I will train hard and will be in my best shape for this fight.”