That’s how you leave a lasting impression. One half of a slugfest for the ages, Derek Chisora could not have given his adoring fans much more on his farewell fight, if it was to be that.
It wasn’t the fairytale ending, with Deontay Wilder edging out victory by split decision after 12 rounds of spine-tingling back-and-forth brawling. But Chisora isn’t the fairytale type. He’s a loveable brute with a maniacal smile and after an up-and-down career, victory on this night didn’t feel imperative for “Delboy” to deliver. Chaos was all we asked for, and that’s what we got.
“I’m going to go home with the boss lady and see,” Chisora said, staying a bit coy over whether his 50th fight would be his last before suggesting this has to be his last fight. “I’m going to go home and drop the kids, do the school run.
“Thank you very much, I really appreciate it. Thank you very much, United kingdom I really appreciate you. I was born in Zimbabwe, I came over when I was 16, I got in trouble and then got addicted to boxing. I didn’t know I was going to get addicted. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it.”
For a man who was allegedly on the precipice of retirement, Chisora felt like he was allowing himself to properly enjoy the last build of his career. He was romanticising the “scumbag” world he was about to step out of the spotlight of, and used his final media duties to tick off something of a “Delboy” bucket list; whether that’s arriving to his press conference at the iconic York Hall on a tank with controversial Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, or calling Piers Morgan a specific four-word profanity to his face on air.
But Chisora also didn’t feel desperate to sell his boxing farewell as legacy-defining. His mantra in fight week was “f*** it, let’s go”; he was done with the talk and was at peace with leaving everything between the ropes. Maybe that’s why London’s O2 Arena wasn’t completely sold out for what proved a fight-of-the-year contender.
Wilder, meanwhile, was hardly pillar of composure in the days and weeks leading up. His future after fight night was far less clear and whether it was his blow-up in front of talkSPORT host Simon Jordan, 58, over the topic of the Tyson Fury trilogy, one which required security to step in, or his bizarre rant on Piers Morgan Uncensored where he made allegations about the conception of his child, he didn’t seem like a man with his mind particularly in check. This felt more like a boom-or-bust for Wilder’s career after seeing his force fade, and his emotions were indicative of that.
So on fight night, a stoppage felt pretty much guaranteed. Wilder had been knocked out in four of his six losses but of course boasted the reputation as arguably the hardest hitting heavyweight to ever live. Things started like they were heading in that direction, with Wilder unloading on Chisora before toppling into “Delboy” on the ropes, refusing to separate. Chisora’s coach darted into the ring to remedy the situation. This was the first round.
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Chisora knew he had to survive the early attacks, with Wilder’s optimum time to finish expected to come in the first three or four rounds. But Chisora began to turn the tide, starting to pummel Wilder before the end of the fourth. Wilder came back with counter-punches but “Delboy” was getting his American foe to the corner and unloading serious punishment. The home crowd are vociferous, as “Oh, Derek Chisora” rings from stand to stand.
To Chisora’s dismay, Wilder’s chin stays strong and soon the 42-year-old begins to tire. Then comes the round of the year so far; the eighth. Wilder responds to a stiff uppercut with two clean crosses before punching Chisora through the ropes, scoring the fight’s first knockdown. Literally and figuratively, Chisora is looking ropey.
He beats the count but looks there for the taking, only for Wilder’s next move – a push – to be deemed illegal by the referee. He’s deducted a point and Chisora gets a crucial few extra seconds to regain his composure and survive the round.
Both men gassing but still throwing bombs, they seemed to trade knockdowns in the 11th only for both to be ruled trips after the fact. The war of attrition, somehow, now looked set to go the distance.
As their battered skulls kept spraying sweat, the final 10 seconds of the final round sent the crowd to fever pitch. Each searched for a Hail Mary knockout that didn’t come, and the bell sounded on a barnstormer and probably Chisora’s storied career. The result keeps Wilder’s career alive but it didn’t really matter when it came to the hero of the hour. This was the climax Chisora’s journey warranted.
