Deontay Wilder’s split-decision win over Derek Chisora in his final fight and Wilder’s callout to Anthony Joshua
Consensus Summary
Deontay Wilder defeated Derek Chisora in a split-decision victory at London’s O2 Arena, marking Chisora’s 50th and final professional fight. The bout was a hard-fought epic, with Chisora rallying from a knockdown in the 8th round to force Wilder to the ropes and earn a hero’s farewell. Wilder, the former WBC champion, called out Anthony Joshua for a long-awaited rematch after the fight, with Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn confirming Joshua would accept the challenge. Chisora, 42, officially retired post-fight, citing exhaustion and a long career, though he hinted at staying involved in boxing outside the ring. Both articles agree on the split decision scores, Chisora’s retirement, and Wilder’s callout to Joshua, but differ slightly on the tone of Wilder’s post-fight remarks and the specifics of Chisora’s late-round comeback. Wilder’s victory may reignite interest in a potential Joshua-Wilder unification bout, though both fighters have faced setbacks recently, with Joshua recovering from a car accident in Nigeria and Wilder’s reign as champion ending after losses to Tyson Fury and Usyk’s rise to unified heavyweight dominance.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Deontay Wilder defeated Derek Chisora via split decision (scores: 115-111, 112-115, 115-113) in Chisora’s 50th and final professional fight at the O2 Arena, London, on Saturday
- Chisora (36-14, 23 KOs) beat Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KOs) to the distance in the 8th round, surviving a knockdown to earn a hero’s farewell reception
- Wilder called out Anthony Joshua for a fight after the bout, saying ‘Let’s do it’ and fist-bumping Joshua, who reportedly said he would fight Wilder ‘no problem’
- Chisora announced his retirement after the fight, stating ‘I’m tired now. You know when you know it’s time, it is time’
- The fight took place at the O2 Arena in London, with Chisora traveling via the London Underground to the venue
- Wilder was the former WBC heavyweight champion, while Joshua held the WBA, IBF, and WBO belts before losing them to Oleksandr Usyk
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Wilder claimed ‘The division is nothing without Deontay Wilder’ and called himself ‘Mr Clean’ after the fight
- Chisora mentioned he might stay involved in boxing in a non-fighting role, saying ‘I didn’t say I was going to fight again but I might do something else in boxing’
- Eddie Hearn (Joshua’s promoter) stated Joshua ‘would fight him no problem’ after Wilder’s callout, noting Joshua ‘sort of stared at him ice cold’
- Chisora’s wife Emily was present, and he made ‘half-hearted jokes’ about fighting again before confirming retirement
- Chisora’s career included spitting water at Wladimir Klitschko, clashing with David Haye, and flipping a table in past fights
- Chisora was hospitalized in December after a car accident in Nigeria that killed two of Joshua’s close friends, and Joshua’s last fight was a December knockout of Jake Paul
- The fight was described as a ‘fight-of-the-year contender’ and an ‘epic bout’ with Chisora’s comeback in the 8th round being ‘sensational’
- Wilder was deducted a point in the 8th round after a low blow, with the Rocky theme tune playing during the deduction
- Chisora’s farewell was ‘ridden on the London Underground’ and included a ‘surprise first public outing’ for Joshua, who was seen greeting Chisora before the fight
- The fight was ‘one-sided early on’ with Wilder dominating until Chisora’s late rally, including a ‘huge right hook’ to Wilder’s face in the 4th round
- Chisora was ‘on the canvas twice’ in the 5th round but neither were knockdowns, and Wilder ‘went tumbling’ with Chisora in the 7th
- The crowd was ‘on their feet’ during the final three minutes of Chisora’s career, but no stoppage was called
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- Article 1 states Wilder ‘dapped it up with’ Joshua and said ‘Let’s do it’ with a ‘fist-bump’, while Article 2 does not mention a fist-bump or quote Wilder’s exact words
- Article 1 describes Wilder’s post-fight quote as ‘The division is nothing without Deontay Wilder’, but Article 2 does not include this exact phrasing
- Article 1 notes Chisora ‘reserved one of his best displays for his last dance’ and ‘climbed off the canvas in round eight to take Wilder the distance’, while Article 2 calls it a ‘sensational comeback’ without specifying ‘best display’
- Article 1 implies Wilder’s early rounds were dominant with ‘early on the power that once made him formidable’, while Article 2 emphasizes Wilder’s ‘one-sided start’ and Chisora’s ‘remarkable powers of recovery’ without detailing Wilder’s early dominance
- Article 1 mentions Chisora’s ‘half-hearted jokes with wife Emily about fighting one more time’ before retirement, but Article 2 does not reference Emily or jokes
Source Articles
‘Let’s do it’: Deontay Wilder targets Anthony Joshua fight after beating Chisora
Former world champions may finally meet in the ring Eddie Hearn says Joshua is ready for fight after car crash Deontay Wilder called out Anthony Joshua for a long-awaited matchup between the former he...
Deontay Wilder beats battling Derek Chisora as epic bout goes the distance
Wilder wins heavyweight contest on split decision British boxer earns hero’s reception in final fight Deontay Wilder consigned the British heavyweight Derek Chisora to defeat in his final bout but onl...