Tyson Fury stopped Derek Chisora in the tenth round at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night, in a bleakly predictable manner. Chisora was a valiant but fatally outclassed opponent.
Chisora, who is 38 years old and has been in far too many fights for his good, was saved when referee Victor Loughlin intervened to terminate the brutal thrashing mercifully. It was a stoppage that could have been called much sooner, but Chisora’s trainer, Don Charles, refused to save his client.
Fury kissed his opponent and friend outside the ring in awe and soon led the crowd in boisterous acclaim for all that Chisora had endured. The right eye of Chisora was almost completely glued shut, and he was still bleeding from the lips.
The crowd, some of whom booed disgracefully as the bout stopped, appeared to have given little regard to the considerably more dangerous damage caused to Chisora’s brain by Fury’s savage and accurate punches.
This was their third confrontation in the ring, and Fury had won both of their previous bouts so decisively that it was unnecessary to conclude this melancholy trilogy. It was Chisora’s 13th loss in 46 bouts, and there are grave health worries if he continues to box.
As the champion began his crowd-pleasing antics, Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand was overtaken by Football’s Coming Home as Fury made his entrance. In a scarlet robe and a yellow bobble hat to cover his bald head from the bitter cold, Fury was greeted by a massive gathering of sixty thousand. When he stripped to his bright red boxing trunks, he resembled a human mountain.
Fury assumed control from the beginning by gauging Chisora with a stinging jab. He defeated his seasoned opponent with accurate counters, and a series of stinging uppercuts repeatedly floored Chisora.
Chisora raised his arms wide in the second round to suggest he could withstand every Fury punch, but he was punished for his audacity.
Chisora was presumably already concussed by the third round since he was compelled to grip the top rope to balance himself.
Charles, in the challenger’s corner, replied by slapping Chisora in the face in a questionable attempt to urge him to fight back against a completely dominant Fury.
Chisora entered the fourth round with intensity, but Fury appeared to be giving himself and his already damaged opponent a rest. He quickly resumed his savagery, and in the fifth and sixth rounds, Chisora staggered backward as he received blow after blow.
The battle could have been legitimately stopped at that point, as any faint hope Chisora had of landing a lucky blow had long ago evaporated in the harsh cold.
By the eighth round, Chisora’s right eye and mouth were bleeding profusely, and he could barely see out of it.
The referee’s face was furrowed with worry as rage rained down at will. After the ninth round, Loughlin warned Charles that the fight could no longer continue. It was an opportunity for the trainer to demonstrate compassion, but Charles claimed he was responsible for his fighter.
Chisora entered the ring punching with great but senseless valor while Loughlin maintained his sight on the Londoner of Zimbabwean descent. A further right uppercut shocked Chisora to his core. His bloated face remained a mask of indifference.
Loughlin jumped between the combatants to indicate he had had enough after Fury repeatedly struck him.
Next year, Fury should face the unbeaten Oleksandr Usyk in a bout to determine the name of the undisputed heavyweight world champion. Usyk, who has the IBF, WBA, and WBO belts, was ringside, and he and Fury spat insults during the fight, which was another indication of how easily the Gypsy King defeated Chisora.
Fury raged and ridiculed a man who had served in the Ukrainian army this year in a genuine battle, while Usyk displayed an image of steely composure in the ring. Saturday night’s mismatch lacked the suspense and sense of parity that will be present in Fury vs. Usyk.
Fury dubbed Usyk a “little b*tch,” but he’s savvy enough to know that their battle will be filled with both.
Fury’s usually brutal victory revealed nothing new, but it did leave us with the genuine hope that a humiliated Derek Chisora will accept the reality that he belongs in retirement and behind the ropes.
