Derek Chisora was denied a fairytale ending to his boxing career on Saturday night as Deontay Wilder beat him by split decision after a thrilling bout at the O2 Arena. The fight would be the 50th of both men’s careers, but one man had more riding on it than the other. Chisora had promised to hang up his gloves after the bout, but he was not able to go out on a high. He started well in the fight but Wilder matched him blow for blow.
The evening began to slip away from Chisora when he twice fell out of the ring, and he hit the canvas to take a count in round eight. He lasted the full distance, though the judges ruled in Wilder’s favour, with two points the margin of victory. Speaking after the fact, he refused to take on one last fight, saying he was looking forward to taking his kids on the school run.
North London native Viddal Riley was crowned European cruiserweight champion earlier in the evening after stunning Mateusz Masternak in the final undercard event. Catch up with the action from fight night LIVE as it happened below with Standard Sport’s dedicated blog, complete with expert insight and analysis.
