The word incredible is often far too overused when describing a fight, and the word incredible has been punched out at many a keyboard over the years when covering a Derek Chisora fight.
Well, no other word could come into play in terms of accurately describing what went down in London tonight, as 40 year old Chisora slugged it out with fellow Brit Joe Joyce.
We feared it would be brutal, damaging, and not for the faint-hearted, and this is just how tonight’s fight at a rocking, rolling, and nostalgic O2 Arena turned out to be.
The result: Chisora won, in doing so pulling off the upset as the 5:1 underdog, via 10 round UD – the scores being 97-92 (which was too wide) and 96-94, 96-94. Chisora is now 35-13(23). 38 year old Joyce falls to 16-3(15).
Now, to attempt to describe the action, indeed the carnage that went down tonight.
Both men were hittable, as expected, and both men were also willing to fight fire with fire. Both men were hurt, wobbled, and fatigued. It was pure violence with not too much skill. But the heart, the commitment, the willingness and ability to dig deep, from both sides, made this fight – as X-rated an affair and as much as a poster as it was for the anti-boxing brigade – something very special.
It was war from the opening bell, and some hellish bombs were slung out, plenty of which landed, with both men having to show a hard head. Chisora, wobbled at the end of the opener, threw a ton of right hands tonight, some of them hopeful, some of them pure desperation. Joyce trundled forward, his chin keeping him in the fight. But Chisora was soon, quite alarmingly soon, looking tired, his legs seemingly “gone,” his face marked up, his body language sending out all manner of signals that screamed for the fight to be stopped. The 8th was a nasty round for Chisora, with him being hurt, almost drained by a Joyce right hand that sent him into the ropes.
But Chisora never once gave up, and a sensational right hand counter at last decked “The Juggernaut” in round nine, this after Chisora had once again teetered on the edge of being taken out. Again, that word, “incredible.” How else to sum things up? Chisora had next to nothing left in the final round, his exhausted legs betraying him as he ran down the clock. But the win was his, and it was so honourably fought for.
The question is, what now for both men? Joyce, who spoke before tonight’s fight of his belief that he can still become a world champion, will hear deafening cries for his retirement and he will be hard-pressed to come up with a reason for not hanging up the gloves. Chisora will hopefully – at last – call it quits himself. Chisora now has the great opportunity to go out with a win. Perhaps the most amazing win of his long, up and down – and, yes, incredible – career.
Both men slugged it out and left the arena they entered with a very real danger of never being the same again. It’s time for both warriors to find something else to do. However, for the guts, the heart, the bravery and the passion they both displayed in abundance tonight, we fight fans can do nothing but thank Derek Chisora and Joe Joyce.
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