Deontay Wilder consigned British heavyweight Derek Chisora to defeat in his final fight but only after an exhilarating fight of the year contender at a raucous O2 Arena.
In the 50th bout of Chisora’s eventful professional career, ‘Del Boy’ showed remarkable powers of recovery to come back from a punishing eighth round and take former WBC champion Wilder to the distance.
After the American showed the power early on in London which once made him one of the most formidable punchers in heavyweight history, Chisora’s farewell threatened to turned into a nightmare during a one-sided start.
However, Chisora rallied back in sensational fashion in a thrilling fourth and after he got up off the canvas in round eight, the 42-year-old made it through to earn a hero’s reception before, during and after the last three-minute round of his journey in the professional ranks.
It was not enough to seal Chisora one last victory after the judges scored the bout 115-111, 112-115 and 115-113 in favour of Wilder to earn the ‘Bronze Bomber’ a split-decision triumph, which may put his name back in the mix for the biggest fights in the division.
