Deontay Wilder spoiled Derek Chisora’s potential farewell as he edged a thrilling split-decision victory at the O2 Arena on Saturday night.
The scorecards read 115-111, 112-115, 115-113 as the pair marked the 50th outings of their decorated careers. The fight carried the feel of a last-chance saloon: Chisora insisted he would retire after the bout, while Wilder hunted one final flash of the power that has faded since his trilogy with Tyson Fury.
The contest was a raw, physical back-and-forth — thunderous shots, dramatic near-misses, trips to the canvas and constant pressure that satisfied a London crowd expecting grit. Chisora was counted twice during the night, one fall coming after he tumbled through the ropes, and Wilder appeared to be docked a point for pushing his opponent through the ropes.
“I’m going to go home, do a school run… I’m going to say thank you very much. I know why I lost the fight,” Chisora told DAZN. “United Kingdom, I really appreciate you.”
Chisora arrived at the arena via tube with his daughter and entered through the public entrance surrounded by fans. The first round produced a flashpoint as the two tangled on the ropes and Wilder nearly pushed Chisora out of the ring, prompting a corner man to rush in to separate them.
Wilder tested Chisora’s chin early, detonating his right hand in the second and rocking the Londoner in the corner before Chisora rallied. A moment of stuttering momentum sent Chisora to the canvas of his own accord in that frame, but the fight continued to teeter on the edge of a stoppage as both men exchanged heavy shots.
In the third, Wilder found success with an uppercut in the corner and missed a dangerous overhand right that could have ended the contest, while Chisora replied with his own heavy blows. The pair traded furious flurries, and Wilder’s workrate began to show as the rounds progressed.
By the fourth and fifth, fatigue crept in; clinches became frequent and both fighters had unsteady legs at times. Wilder landed a telling uppercut and late right hooks in round six, while another tangle produced a dramatic fall that fired up the crowd.
Round eight saw a devastating right from Wilder that forced Chisora to retreat and ultimately go down between the ropes. Chisora beat the count and withstood more clubbing shots, but the referee judged Wilder had pushed him through the ropes and penalised the American a point.
Both men went down again in the 11th — Chisora through the ropes and Wilder after absorbing a heavy shot — but neither backed off. They traded until the final bell in a fight that could plausibly close the curtain on Chisora’s career.
Riley wins world title eliminator
In the penultimate bout of the night, Viddal Riley defeated Mateusz Masternak by unanimous decision to claim the European cruiserweight title and an IBF world title eliminator. Riley dominated the veteran Masternak, who entered the fight with a 50-6 record, using speed and elusiveness to extend his perfect record to 14-0.
“It feels good! European champion sounds good. English, British, now European. Talk to us nice,” Riley told DAZN. “It says I’m world class. The only people that beat Masternak are world class. I showed I can go in the deep end and come out with two belts.”
Also on the card, London’s Denzel Bentley returned to the ring for the first time since December 2024 and stopped Endry Saavedra in the seventh to claim the WBO interim middleweight title.
Watch Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper and Ellie Scotney vs Mayelli Flores live on Sky Sports from 7pm on Sunday.