By David Berlin

Don’t tell me boxing is irrelevant just because Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. can’t get it together for the fight of the century. Other boxers still take their bouts extremely seriously.

For example, on Friday, Dereck Chisora slapped WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko during the weigh-in for their Saturday title fight.

You have to give Chisora credit. He obviously takes his craft so seriously that he brings this kind of intensity to the weigh-in. What’s more, he doubled-down by wearing a Union-Jack handkerchief ninja style on his face – the height of professionalism.

What better way to strike fear into the heart of an opponent? Sounds more like a weigh-in from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.”

Nothing says “intimidating” like wearing a bandana on your face to protect yourself from particulate-induced allergic asthma.

Can you imagine if Rocky Balboa had bitch-slapped Ivan Drago? Klitschko pretty much has to “break” Chisora for this insult.

Another wonderful element of this story is the way the British female sports newscaster light-heartedly narrates the weigh-in – describing the scene as “the usual bumping and barging.”

While I’m sure this kind of thing is par for the course in British pugilism circles, Chisora has definitely one-up’d Brad Pitt’s pikey Mickey O’Neil character from Snatch.

Even though boxing has devolved into a bit of a sideshow in the U.S., it’s good to see they are keeping this gentlemen’s sport classy across the pond.