Fromer WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KOs) and Derek Chisora (36-14, 23 KOs) went to war and in the end, Wilder was able to squeeze out a split decision victory live on DAZN PPV.
The judges saw this one 115-111 for Wilder, 115-112 for Chisora and 115-113 for Wilder in a fight that was sloppy but entertaining.
The opening round was wild as both fighters came out swinging. There was a moment in the round where both hit each other with rabbit punches and almost fell out of the ring. The referee warned both fighters for roughhousing. In the second round, things got even more intense as Chisora kept rushing Wilder and landing huge shots to the body. Wilder landed some big uppercuts and that devastating straight right hand, which buzzed Chisora several times throughout the round.
Wilder caught Chisora with a big right hand that made Chisora stop for a second. Wilder jumped on him as Chisora’s eye was bothering him. Wilder had a good round landing clean right hands and uppercuts. In the fourth round, Chisora landed a big overhand right that hurt Wilder badly as the former WBC champion was holding on for dear life. Wilder barely survived the round.
Things got a little messy in the fifth round as Chisora and Wilder both hit the canvas due to pushing. Wilder looked every bit of his age (40) as he already seemed exhausted. Chisora, as expected, was constantly working his way in and targeting the body.
Wilder got back in the driver’s seat in the sixth round as his right hand kept landing more and more. Chisora was still throwing his flurries, but his punches had a little less on them. Right before the end of the round, Wilder landed a big right hand on Chisora’s chin. More sloppiness occurred in the seventh round as Wilder and Chisora kept holding and falling over each other.
The eighth round was one for the books as Wilder landed a huge right hand, sending Chisora down to the canvas for the fight’s first knockdown. Then, when Wilder jumped on Chisora, he pushed him a bit, causing the referee to take a point away, which seemed premature. Chisora came back and landed a huge left hook that hurt Wilder, but then Wilder responded with a big right hand. The crowd went absolutely nuts as the round ended. The ninth round had zero drama, as both fighters were recovering from what was arguably one of the most exciting rounds of the year in terms of drama.
Chisora came roaring back in the tenth as his left and right hooks landed cleanly, sending Wilder back onto the ropes. Chisora needed a big round, and he was able to deliver it, making the fight much closer. In the 11th round, Wilder landed a right hand that sent Chisora through the ropes, which was called a knockdown. After beating the count, Chisora hit Wilder with a punch that appeared to include a slip, and Wilder went down. The ringside referee called it a knockdown, and Wilder was visibly upset about the call.
In the last round, both fighters left everything in the ring as they went down swinging, with the crowd on their feet until the final second of the fight.
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