Oleksandr Usyk and Dereck Chisora apparently won’t have to wait too much longer for their fight to be rescheduled.

David Haye, who manages Chisora, told Sky Sports News on Wednesday that Usyk-Chisora likely will take place sometime in October. The former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion didn’t mention a date or site for their heavyweight fight, which will headline a Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view event.

“The date will probably be in October,” Haye said. “Fortunately, boxing has started to move forward now. Eddie Hearn is having fights in his garden. Dillian Whyte is having a huge fight with Alexander Povetkin on August 22. Dereck and Usyk will probably happen in October. Dereck and Uysk are training.”

Ukraine’s Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) and England’s Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs), both of whom are promoted by Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, were supposed to meet May 23 in a 12-round heavyweight fight at O2 Arena in London. Their 12-round bout was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 33-year-old Usyk, a former undisputed cruiserweight champion, is the WBO’s mandatory challenger for one of Anthony Joshua’s four heavyweight titles. The 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist also is ranked second by the WBA and WBC, and third by the IBF.

Chisora is rated ninth by the IBF, WBA and WBO, and 12th by the WBC.

The 36-year-old Chisora has nine losses, but he is a more imposing opponent than Chazz Witherspoon. The left-handed Usyk stopped Witherspoon after seven largely lopsided rounds October 12 at DePaul University’s Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Usyk’s win against Witherspoon (38-4, 29 KOs) marked his first fight in the heavyweight division after giving up the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO cruiserweight titles last year.

The Zimbabwe-born, London-based Chisora last fought October 26, when he stopped England’s David Price (25-7, 20 KOs) in the fourth round at O2 Arena. He has won three straight bouts since Whyte knocked him out in the 11th round of their closely contested rematch in December 2018 at O2 Arena. 

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.