Zimbabwe-born heavyweight boxer Derek Chisora stunned Joe Joyce via unanimous decision in London on Saturday in a remarkable upset victory following 10 gruelling rounds between two British rivals.
Chisora rolled back the years with an excellent performance in an absolute slugfest fought in front of a strong pro-Chisora crowd at London’s O2 Arena, flooring his rival in the ninth round before taking a deserved unanimous decision win with scores of 96-94, 96-94 and 97-92.
It was a victory that will once again end any talk of an imminent retirement for the 40-year-old Chisora, who said afterwards that he intends to have two more fights to reach the 50 mark as a professional – starting in Manchester in December.
Chisora told TNT Sports: “I want to thank Frank Warren for keeping faith with me. I thought it was a good way to end my career with the man I started with.
“It’s not my last fight – I’ve got two more. It’s my last fight in the O2 Arena. I’ll go to Manchester in December.”
Chisora was cheered on by undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, who was barking advice and encouragement from ringside at one stage.
He had taken command of the fight with an aggressive start, but Joyce was piling on pressure in the later rounds until he was sent toppling to the canvas and all three judges scored it for Chisora.
In the early rounds, Chisora had unloaded hurtful hooks from both hands on the static Joyce, who was attempting to rebuild his career following crushing losses to Zhilei Zhang.
Joyce clawed his way back into the fight, forcing Chisora to the ropes with clubbing combinations, but the Harare-born veteran continued to respond with defiant punches.
With Chisora looking weary and hurt, Joyce tried to force a stoppage, but was caught by a looping shot that sent him wilting to the canvas.