Derek Chisora plans to return to London for 50th and final fight

Heavily bruised and armed with burgers for the assembled media, Derek Chisora last night insisted that his 12-round points victory over Otto Wallin, in his 49th fight, was his penultimate outing as a prize fighter. 

Plenty doubt that a man so ingrained in British boxing, and so proud to be defined by his trade, will truly be able to say goodbye following his 50th fight. But when asked the obvious question – should he win fight 50 will he then be tempted to have fight 51? – he seemed earnest in his rebuttal. “No, no, no,” he said. “That’s it.”

Clearly emotional, and at times rambling, Chisora nonetheless does seem set on his exit plan. “I think I’m getting old,” he said more than once. 

The notion that last night was his final appearance in a British ring, however, would appear a falsehood as he indicated that London would stage his swansong as he spoke of his feelings while entering the arena in Manchester. 

“It was very emotional for me,” Chisora explained. “When I left the hotel I said to myself I’m not going to cry. Then I’m walking [through the arena] and I see photos and pictures of my fights and, Jesus Christ, I started bawling out. It was very emotional and very sad because I love this game so much. I started crying, I was crying like a kid. Fucking hell.”

The fight itself was typically gruelling. Chisora, who seems to switch to autopilot when the bell sounds, should regardless be congratulated for winning a fight many expected him to lose – even scoring two knockdowns along the way.

“In the second round, my ears popped,” he reflected. “I didn’t tell my trainers. It was a hard fight and I think I made it harder for myself because I lost concentration in a couple of rounds. Then the cut happened, it was a headbutt, and he kept on butting me – which is alright, I didn’t complain.

“Sometimes in boxing you knock somebody down. Then you go on and you go on. Your tank then starts to go down and runs out. I’m not going to lie to you, I’ll drop and then I’ll come back up, I’ll drop then I’ll come back up… I knew I was going to get him, but I didn’t get him clean.”

“I’ll let the public decide. I’ll let you guys decide. I need something big, in the United Kingdom, I’ve earned it. I want to fight a fighter, or maybe I’ll fight Jake Paul, who knows.”