Derek ‘War’ Chisora (35-13, 23 KOs) showed that he’s still not done as a marketable fighter, defeating Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs) by a thrilling ten unanimous decision in their heavyweight contest on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.
Chisora, 40, used his power game to get the better of the 2016 Olympic silver medalist Joyce, knocking him down in the ninth and out-punching him in the tenth round to win a decision by the following judges’ scores:
– 97-92
– 96-94
– 96-94
Chisora’s Resurgence
Joyce came into the fight as a solid favorite and was expected to end Chisora’s career. However, Joyce’s career appears to be on thin ice after he lost his third fight in his last four contests.
In the ninth, Chisora dropped Joyce with a right hand he wasn’t unprepared for. Joyce had Chisora backed against the ropes and was unloading shots on him. He wasn’t ready for Chisora’s right hand that put him down, which came out of nowhere.
Joyce fought hard after getting back up, but Chisora finished strong, landing looping right hands and feeding off the crowd applause.
Chisora had the fans at the O2 Arena eating out of his hand throughout the contest but relied on them to give him the needed energy in rounds eight through ten to pull out the win.
By the end of the fight, Chisora’s right eye was swollen and close to closing. It was fortunate for him that it didn’t close completely.
Joyce’s Unexpected Defeat
The defeat is a massive blow for Joyce, who was coming off a win earlier this year and was hoping to use tonight’s fight as a catalyst for a return to the top of the heavyweight division.
Joyce had problems dealing with Chisora’s pressure and accurate power shots, which he repeatedly caught him with. Chisora dominated the fight from rounds two through seven by putting Joyce on the defensive with his offense.
In the eighth round, Joyce hurt Chisora with a left hook to the head, and his legs looked weak. Somehow, Chisora avoided being knocked out by utilizing upper body movement. At the end of the eighth, Chisora staggered back to his corner and looked like he was finished.
Chisora came out energized in the ninth, repeatedly making Joyce miss with his power shots and hitting him with counters to the head and body. Near the end of the round, Joyce squared himself up in front of Chisora while on the attack and was dropped by a right hand.
It wasn’t a big shot, but it caught Joyce when his legs were not in position to take the punch. After Joyce got back to his feet, he finished the rounds strong, chasing a very tired-looking Chisora and using movement to avoid him.
“Chisora, I’m so happy for him, so proud of him, and what a servant to British boxing that he’s been over the years,” said Tyson Fury on social media, reacting to Derek Chisora’s win over Joe Joyce on Saturday night at the O2 Arena.
“He’s had so many fights and entertained us all on so many occasions, and what a way to go out with a bang. God bless you, Derek Chisora. I salute you; you are the man.”
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