Chisora ​​​​surprises Joyce in thrilling heavyweight victory at O2 Arena

Derek ‘War’ Chisora ​​​​(35-13, 23 KOs) showed he is not yet finished as a fighter in demand by beating Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs) by a thrilling unanimous ten-point decision in their heavyweight clash on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.

Chisora, 40, used his power play to defeat 2016 Olympic silver medalist Joyce, knocking him down in the ninth round and then knocking him out with more punches in the 10th round to win a decision based on the following judges’ scores:

– 97-92
– 96-94
– 96-94

The resurrection of Chisora

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 losing his third fight in his last four outings.

In the ninth, Chisora ​​knocked Joyce down with a right hand that he was not unprepared for. Joyce had Chisora ​​pinned against the ropes and was unloading punches on him. He was not prepared for Chisora’s downright hand that came out of nowhere.

Joyce fought hard after getting back to her feet, but Chisora ​​finished strongly with a looping right hand, earning her a big round of applause.

Chisora ​​had the fans at the O2 Arena at his feet throughout the fight, but relied on them to give him the energy he needed in the eighth through tenth rounds to secure the win.

By the end of the fight, Chisora’s right eye was swollen and nearly closed. It was fortunate for him that it didn’t close completely.

Joyce’s unexpected defeat

The defeat is a huge setback for Joyce, who had won earlier this year and was hoping to use tonight’s bout as a catalyst for a return to the top of the heavyweight division.

Joyce struggled with Chisora’s pressure and accurate power shots, catching him repeatedly. Chisora ​​dominated the fight from rounds two through seven, 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 using upper body movement. At the end of the eighth round, Chisora ​​limped back to his corner and looked finished.

Chisora ​​came out of the blocks full of energy in the ninth, repeatedly missing Joyce with his power shots and hitting him with counters to the head and body. Towards the end of the round, Joyce positioned himself directly in front of Chisora ​​as he was charging and was taken down by a right hand.

It wasn’t a big shot, but it caught Joyce when his legs weren’t in position to take the blow. After Joyce got back to his feet, he finished the rounds strongly, chasing down 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 of British boxing he’s been over the years,” Tyson Fury said 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’re the man.”