Boxing hard man Dereck Chisora is known for his violence out of the ring as well as in it, making headlines for brawling, aggressive press conferences and a 12-week suspended prison sentence for assaulting his then-girlfriend in 2012. But he claims to be a changed man following his rediscovery of faith.
Chisora, who is facing a rematch with Dillian Whyte at the O2 Arena on Saturday, is training under David Haye, with whom he fought a famously bad-tempered grudge fight in 2012. Chisora's boxing licence was withdrawn after he attacked Haye after the match.
He told the Daily Telegraph: 'I have changed. I was born again, I've been going to church. I believe in forgiveness for those who have done wrong to me and this was one of those first steps.'
He and Haye 'had our issues, but we solved them. After that there was nothing else. We've teamed up and it's gone well.'
It's not the first time Chisora has spoken out about his faith. The 34-year-old told The Sun earlier this year before he beat Carlos Takam: 'I am born again. I spent my whole time in the build-up to this fight going to church and I have done a complete 360-degree turn on my life. The things I used to do before, I don't do any more.
'I don't drink and I stopped doing a lot of the things I used to do. I think, when you find God, you can change a lot of things in your life.'
