Deontay Wilder spoiled Derek Chisora’s potential farewell party as he edged a thrilling split decision victory to send the Londoner into retirement at The O2 on Saturday night.
The Bronze Bomber claimed it 115-111, 112-115, 115-113 on the scorecards as the pair marked the 50th outing of their decorated careers.
It was a bout that defined last chance saloon in more ways than one, war horse Chisora insistent throughout the build-up that he would be hanging up his gloves after Saturday’s fight and Wilder banking on one final opportunity to summon the generational power that has faded since his gruelling trilogy with Tyson Fury.
Chisora bids farewell to the London crowd
As much threatened to come to fruition for the American, whose pressure saw to Chisora receiving two counts during the contest, albeit one courtesy of an apparent fall through the ropes.
Thunderous shots, dramatic near-misses, trips to the canvas and a dogged back-and-forth for 12 rounds would appear to satisfy a London audience that expected said clinic in grit.
“I’m going to go home, do a school run… I’m going to say thank you very much. I know why I lost the fight,” Chisora told DAZN.
“United Kingdom I really appreciate you.”
Chisora had travelled to his ‘farewell’ (do we believe him?) fight via the tube in the company of his daughter, before arriving at The O2 through the public entrance with a swarm of fans in tow.
A flashpoint arrived immediately in the opening round when the two found themselves tangled on the ropes, Wilder very nearly pushing his opponent out the ring.
Chisora’s cornerman ran into the ring.
A furious Chisora made his feelings be known while a member of his team rushed in to see to detangling the rivals.
Wilder detonated his right hand with vicious intent to test Chisora’s chin at the start of the second. Twice he appeared to wobble his opponent in the corner, before Chisora recovered well to push the American back.
Already tired shots began to fly, the momentum of one taking Chisora onto the canvas by his own doing. It was a fight that continued to teeter on the edge of explosion, an expectant crowd receiving the brawl they were promised.
Wilder, as he had in the second, found early joy with his right uppercut in the corner at the start of the third.
The Alabama man then missed with a dangerous overhand right that had threatened a conclusion, before Chisora crashed in with one of his own for good measure.
Derek Chisora lands a shot to the face of Deontay Wilder
A bizarre moment of hesitation from Chisora in his own corner invited another violent attack from Wilder, before the American was pulled away by the referee.
Wilder began to appear fatigued in the fourth as the two stumbled into clinches, Chisora taking advantage with a crushing right hand to the face before the pair exchanged in a furious flurry until the bell.
By now momentum appeared to have moved towards Chisora, who landed another crisp overhand right in the corner, before he tumbled to the canvas twice in the fifth amid laboured shots and unsteady legs.
Round six delivered more of the same in what had now become a gruelling, punishing affair devoid of finesse but brimming with grit and toughness between two proud fighters.
Wilder landed a beautiful uppercut that Chisora somehow managed to shake off, before breaking through with a right hook as the bell arrived.
The fight was wild throughout.
Another tangle produced another awkward fall as the thunderous thud ignited the London crowd once more.
A devastating right hand from Wilder then sent Chisora hobbling in retreat during the eighth, the American pursuing a frantic attack at the ropes to eventually send his man down.
Chisora recovered to beat the count, before welcoming more clubbing shots from Wilder as he again found himself down between the ropes. Though this seemingly caused Wilder to be deducted a point by the referee having been adjudged to push Chisora through the ropes.
Both men took falls further falls in the 11th, Chisora first going down through the ropes before Wilder also went down under the weight of a Chisora shot.
Willed on by a raucous atmosphere, they continued to go toe-to-toe until a final bell that could now close the curtain on Chisora’s career.
Riley wins world title eliminator
The penultimate fight of the night saw Viddal Riley defeat Mateusz Masternak by unanimous decision to win the European cruiserweight title in what also served as an IBF world title eliminator.
Riley was rarely troubled in a dominant display against his veteran opponent, who had entered the fight with a 50-6 record as one of the division’s toughest and most stubborn champions.
He struggled to live with the speed and elusiveness of Riley as the Londoner extended his perfect record to 14-0.
“It feels good! European champion sounds good. English, British, now European. Talk to us nice,” Riley told DAZN.
“It says I’m world class. The only people that beat Masternak are world class.
“I showed I can go in the deep end and come out with two belts.
“There will always be doubters, but in 14 fights if you can win everything I’ve won, talk to us nice.”
London’s Denzel Bentley marked his return to the ring for the first time since December 2024 with a seventh-round stoppage of Endry Saavedra to claim the WBO interim middleweight title.
Watch Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper and Ellie Scotney vs Mayelli Flores live on Sky Sports from 7pm on Sunday.
