Chisora beats Wallin, names Usyk, Joshua, and Dubois for next fight

Derek Chisora won again, and threw out three big names for his potential 50th fight later this year.

Derek Chisora did his thing yet again, out-working and out-fighting Otto Wallin over 12 rounds in an IBF heavyweight eliminator today in Manchester, scoring a win by unanimous decision.

Judges saw it 114-112, 116-110, and 117-109 for the veteran. Bad Left Hook unofficially scored the fight 117-109 for Chisora.

Chisora (36-13, 23 KO) has said he wants to do 50 pro fights, and this was No. 49, so the next one may be the last. And he’s fought himself into position, given how boxing works, for it to possibly be a world title fight.

The 41-year-old Chisora opened up a big lead in the fight by controlling the tempo and keeping Wallin (27-3, 15 KO) from achieving much at all, or even attempting to do a whole lot for most of the bout. Wallin was down in the ninth round on a right hand, and went down again just before the final bell of the evening, clipped as Chisora was winging both hands, as he did many times.

Chisora then presented the crowd with three options for his 50th fight: Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois. The crowd was most positive about the Joshua idea, and least about Dubois.

Undercard results

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Sofiane Khati fought on the road and stopped Manchester favorite Nathan Heaney in the seventh round. Heaney (18-2-1, 6 KO) is now 0-2-1 in his last three after catching lightning in a bottle with two wins over Jack Flatley and especially his British title-winning effort again Denzel Bentley in 2023. He’s just hit the wall. He’s still a very likable, all-effort guy, but his skill set is limited and it’s just not pulling through anymore. Khati (18-5, 7 KO) gets a nice win for his resume, and the 32-year-old will continue to get dates, would be no surprise if this win makes him a favorite call for UK promoters for years.

Jack Rafferty successfully defended the British and Commonwealth super lightweight titles with a seventh round TKO win over Reece MacMillan, just outclassing the challenger and breaking him down with sustained pressure. The referee was getting close to stepping in before MacMillan’s corner threw the towel, somewhat comically right at said referee’s head from about two feet away. Hey, it makes sure the ref sees it. Rafferty improves to 25-0 (16 KO), while MacMillan falls to 17-2 (2 KO).

Zach Parker returned as a light heavyweight and got pretty bloody due to some cuts, and certainly didn’t look his best, but earned a decision win over Mickael Diallo on scores of 97-94, 98-93, and 98-92. Parker (26-1, 18 KO) hadn’t fought since last summer, and it was either some rust or Diallo (21-2-2, 18 KO) being better than expected giving him some trouble, or perhaps a combination of the two.

Zak Miller took the Commonwealth featherweight title from Masood Abdulah, and also won the vacant British title, with a majority decision victory over 12 rounds. Judges had it 114-114, 115-114, and 115-113. Very close fight, well-matched, and no robbery, but Miller (16-1, 3 KO) may have edged it on a combination of exceeding expectations and fighting at home in Manchester, because Abdulah (11-1, 7 KO) certainly had his own argument for the win.

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