Deontay Wilder ruined Derek Chisora’s potential farewell party with a thrilling split decision win to retire Derek Chisora at The O2 on Saturday night.
The Bronze Bomber claimed the scorecards read 115-111, 112-115, 115-113 as the pair recorded the 50th outing of their decorated careers.
It was the bout that defined the Last Chance Saloon in many ways. Warhorse Chisora had insisted throughout the build-up that he would hang up his gloves after Saturday’s fight, while Wilder wanted one last chance to summon the power of a generation lost after his grueling trilogy with Tyson Fury.
Chisora says goodbye to the London crowd
There were plenty of threats coming to fruition for the American, who saw Chisora receive a two count during the contest.
Thundering shots, dramatic close calls, trips to the canvas and relentless back-and-forth over 12 rounds would have seemed to satisfy a London audience that had been expecting a clinic in grit.
“I’m going to go home and do school sports… I just want to say thank you so much. I know why I lost the fight,” Chisora told DAZN.
“Thank you so much England.”
After traveling on the tube with his daughter for a ‘farewell’ (do we believe him?) fight, Chisora arrived at The O2 through a public entrance with a throng of fans.
A flashpoint arrived immediately in the opening round when both men found themselves tangled in the ropes, with Wilder nearly pushing his opponent out of the ring.
Chisora’s cornerman ran to the ring.
An enraged Chisora made his feelings known and his teammate rushed to free his rival.
Wilder exploded with a right hand in the top of the second with the vicious intention of testing Chisora’s chin. Twice he appeared to rattle his opponent in the corner before Chisora recovered well to push the American back.
Already tired shots began to fly, and there was a momentum that dragged Chisora to the canvas himself. It was a fight that continued to teeter on the edge of explosions, and the crowd was expecting the fight they were promised, and it was the fight they were promised.
Just as he did in the second, Wilder felt early joy in the third with a right uppercut from a corner kick.
The Alabama man missed a dangerous overhand right that threatened the conclusion before Chisora crashed in with one of his own for good measure.
Derek Chisora gets shot in the face by Deontay Wilder.
Chisora’s bizarre hesitation in his corner led to another violent attack from Wilder before the American was taken away by the referee.
Wilder began to look tired in the fourth as both men stumbled into the clinch, and Chisora took advantage with a stomping right hand to the face before the two exchanged in a furious confusion until the bell rang.
The momentum now seemed to shift towards Chisora, who attempted another clean overhand right in the corner, but a tough shot and unsteady legs caused him to fall to the canvas twice in the fifth.
Round 6 delivered more of the same in what was now a grueling, punishing affair filled with grit and tenacity between two finesse but proud fighters.
Wilder landed a beautiful uppercut that Chisora somehow shook off and broke through with a right hook as the bell arrived.
The fight was rough throughout.
Another tangle caused another awkward fall as a thunderous roar set the London crowd on fire once again.
A devastating right hand from Wilder sent Chisora retreating for eight, with the American pursuing a frenzied attack from the ropes to eventually knock his man down.
Chisora recovered, beat the count and was put between the ropes again, welcoming more club shots from Wilder. This likely led to Wilder being deducted a point after the referee ruled to push Chisora into the ropes.
Both men suffered further falls in the 11th, with Wilder also going down under the weight of Chisora’s shot after Chisora cleared the ropes for the first time.
Driven by the raucous atmosphere, they continued to square off until the final bell that could now close the curtain on Chisora’s career.
Riley wins world title eliminator
In the second fight of the night, Viddal Riley defeated Mateusz Masternak by unanimous decision to win the European cruiserweight title, which also served as an IBF world title eliminator.
Riley is one of the toughest and most stubborn champions in the division and has had little trouble dominating against veteran opponents, coming into the battle with a 50-6 record.
He struggled to overcome Riley’s speed and elusive ability as the Londoner extended his perfect record to 14-0.
Riley told DAZN: “It feels good! I feel good about being European champions. English, British, now European. Please be kind to us.”
“They say I am World Class. The only person who has beaten Master Nak is World Class.
“I showed that I can go deep and come out with two belts.
“There will always be doubters, but if you can win everything I’ve won in 14 fights, kindly tell us.”
London’s Denzel Bentley returned to the ring with a seventh-round stoppage of Endry Saavedra to claim the WBO interim middleweight title for the first time since December 2024.
Watch Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper, Ellie Scotney vs Mayelli Flores live sky sports From 7pm on Sunday evening.
