BY: Sean Crose
Derek Chisora is out of time. That’s the figurative word on the street. Joe Joyce hasn’t impressed in a while, but he’s arguably not at the lowest point in his career like Chisora. So the two heavyweights stepped into London’s O2 Arena on Saturday for what fans and analysts expected to be an entertaining fight, but one that would end in Joyce’s victory. Things didn’t go as planned, however. It’s not that Joyce did poorly in the scheduled ten-round bout between him and Chisora. In fact, he did quite well. Chisora, however, was simply more impressive.
Oh, and it was a fight. A fight like that, in fact, that will probably be considered for Fight of the Year come 2024. No, neither of them looked to be in their prime, but these were two fighters who were ready, determined, and able to give it their all in the ring. Joyce came forward and threw hard punches, while Chisora used his years of experience to dodge them as effectively as possible while landing well himself when the opportunity presented itself. The forty-year-old’s face looked terrible, however, as Joyce’s constant barrage began to take its toll.
Things came to a head in the ninth round, as Joyce’s landings began to rattle Chisora. Indeed, the two-time title challenger looked like he was going to pull through. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Chisora took Joyce to the mat. Simply put, that was Ricky Balboa’s class. Joyce got up and the fight ended with the final bell, but it would be hard for anyone to say that one fighter had clearly defeated the other.
The judges ruled in Chisora’s favour, putting an exclamation point on a career that has been nothing if not colourful and difficult. With that said, neither Chisora nor Joyce should allow themselves to go through such a fierce battle again.
