Sunday Convo: Derek Chisora vs Joe Joyce-What A Treat

Going into Saturday, many expected that heavyweight Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs) would use this fight against Derek “War” Chisora (35-13, 23 KOs) as a way to get back on track while pushing an old veteran off the cliff but instead we got something unexpected: a good ol heavyweight battle. The 40-year-old Chisora, the odds underdog at +350 before the bell, turned in quite possibly his last great performance and left the O2 Arena in London, UK, with his hand raised and showered with love by the fans in attendance.

Although fight week had your typical trash talk, something stood out within the arena of mind games during the weigh-in ceremony, and that was Chisora coming out with a face mask with the image of Zhilei Zhang on it. This was significant as Joyce suffered two brutal stoppages last year against Zhang, so reminding Joyce of that was brilliant. With boxing being just as much mental as physical, reminding Joyce of those two fights was a great way to win the psychological warfare before the start of the fight.

Once The Fight Began, So Did The “War”

As the fight approached its start, those in attendance, including the unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, were on their feet, anticipating the clash between the two titans. Once the bell rang, the two fighters met in the middle of the ring, and the fight was on. The one thing that was obvious from the start was that the minute Joyce felt Chisora’s power in the first round, he began to hold, and the look on his face reflected a man who felt something more than he had anticipated. Regardless, Joyce was game, but he needed to figure out how he would adjust the rest of the fight.

In the second round, Joyce began to unload his offense from mid-range, which gave him some good leverage on his punches. It was a 1-2 combination down the middle that would land and buzz Chisora, but the grizzly veteran would take it and keep coming forward. When the fight reached the third round, it was bombs away from both fighters. Granted, they were throwing slow combinations, but the impact of their punches was ones that few heavyweights could withstand. Although Joyce was winning the battle in spots, Chisora was living up to his nickname and winning the “war.”

Although both men were tired and taking massive punches, Chisora used every veteran tactic he could think of to hold on and land his punches. The thought was that the eighth round would be it for Chisora as Joyce landed a left hook and had Chisora hurt badly, but somehow, he was able to make it through the round. Then, to add to the drama of the fight, Chisora came back in the ninth round and threw a slingshot right hand as he used the ropes for leverage and knocked down Joyce for the fight’s only knockdown. The crowd went absolutely wild, and there wasn’t one person in attendance sitting down at this point. The last round saw both men go blow for blow, but Chisora would save some of his energy for the last sixty seconds and landed one big right hand after another as the fight came to a conclusion.

Once the final bell rang, both fighters received a standing ovation as they gave everyone their money’s worth with a highly entertaining heavyweight battle. Chisora had been on the wrong side of a decision on a few close fights, so when the judges’ scorecards were being read, Chisora hoped he would be given the nod. The judges saw this one 97-92, 96-94 & 96-94 for Chisora, who seemed relieved after having his name announced as the winner.

What’s Next For Chisora & Joyce?

During the post-fight interview, Chisora said he was not retiring and that he had two fights remaining before calling it a career. One of those fights would be in Manchester, and the last would be right there in the O2 Arena, where he has had so much success throughout his career. A fight that could be there for Chisora would be with Zhilei Zhang, who is scheduled to return sometime in November. That would be a good fight for Zhang, which would be a massive event in the UK and give Zhang the type of rub needed as he approaches a title fight in 2025.

Joyce needs to restart his momentum, but unfortunately, he may have to turn gatekeeper and win a few fights that he isn’t supposed to win in order to get back on track. A fight that comes to mind is against Jared Anderson. That is a makable fight that would determine Joyce’s next steps based on the fight’s outcome.

My Three Cents

Just when boxing fans were on Shakur Stevenson for the lack of entertainment value during his last two fights, here comes Chisora and Joyce giving you a highly entertaining battle where defense was the last thing on their mind. I get it; not all fights will be a slugfest, but when two fighters put on like Chisora and Joyce did on Saturday night, fans tune in and continue to talk about it days after. As Tim Bradley said after the fight, Chisora fought for the fans and that is not a bad thing.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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