Fury Stops Chisora On An Uncomfortable Night For Boxing

Fury Stops Chisora On An Uncomfortable Night For Boxing

Boxing history is littered with brave old souls like Derek Chisora. Many of them now walk funny and can’t remember their youth. Tonight’s sorry episode at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium pushes Chisora a little closer to that fate. It may sound harsh, but his incredibly brave performance tonight against Tyson Fury gives a little insight into what lies ahead. I hope I’m wrong, I really do. But Chisora was battered relentlessly by Fury, who regained his WBC heavyweight title, it was uncomfortable and went on far too long. Fury won with ease and with spite, but equally, he should have stopped a badly depleted and near-helpless Chisora well before the halfway point. The more deserving contenders will have taken note.

The referee Victor Loughlin did what Chisora’s corner should have done many rounds before when he waved it off in the 10th round. Chisora absorbed far too many unnecessary punches, his chance of victory had long since gone. In truth, it had gone over 10 years ago. The fight should never have been made. It was a travesty of a fight, no excuses or reasonings will ever justify it. And because it went on longer than any of us reasonably expected, it was actually worse than what many of us thought. Much worse. It wasn’t an exhibition as many feared, it was a fight with an unsavoury feel about it. Everything that is wrong with boxing was laid bare for anyone who had the misfortune of witnessing it.

Chisora had a decent opening minute, I thought he edged the 4th but only because Fury took the round off in sympathy for his old friend. He chugged forward all night long, but he took a fearful beating. As early as the 2nd round, it had become a deeply uncomfortable spectacle. No enjoyment could be taken from this. It was horrible. Truly horrible. Chisora offered nothing but his own immense bravery. And that is the deeply unsettling problem.

As brave as he was, Chisora had no business fighting Fury. It was a fight of much convenience and a shocking look for boxing. If boxing is ever to be taken seriously again, it needs to learn a lot of lessons from this. Nothing good can be taken from it.

Fury will go on to fight Oleksandr Usyk next year, hopefully, for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. The inevitable split of the world heavyweight titles can wait.

Chisora at 38, is at the point of no return. And there shouldn’t be one. No Promoter should ever contemplate using Chisora again. He badly needs saving from himself. I wrote similar words a year or so ago after Joseph Parker beat him in a savage fight in Manchester. Two fights later, we are still here, and Chisora has accumulated further damage that may never leave his body. Enough is enough.

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