Wilder Edges Chisora in Epic Heavyweight Battle at London's O2 Arena

The fight of the year. The fight of the decade. No. The fight of the century. Rarely, if ever, has boxing witnessed a prizefight of such relentless action, so many punches of devastating power, and such exhibitions of courage under bombardment that it will take months for these monumental gladiators to fully recover. If they ever truly do.

A Call for Retirement After a Brutal Contest

Derek Chisora, please, for your own sake, call it time at last. At the fiftieth time of asking, there is nothing left to prove. There wasn't much to do before this phenomenal battle beside the Thames, but here, in the pandemonium of the O2 Arena, he went light-years beyond the call of duty.

So did Deontay Wilder, who had agreed to be his partner in this dance of near-death. The Bronze Bomber accepted, as a friend does, and marked his 50th fight by enduring almost as much hell himself. They were both knocked to the floor time after time, with Chisora twice going through the ropes as he took counts.

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How Did Chisora Survive Wilder's Thunderous Power?

How did Del 'Warboy' survive countless thunderbolts from the American who reigned for six years as world heavyweight champion, known as the heaviest puncher since Mike Tyson? Since both men are devout Christians, let's call it a miracle. They kept swinging away when they looked out on their feet, showcasing incredible resilience.

A split decision against Chisora seems about right, even though Wilder landed more blows that would have levelled a dozen other opponents on this remarkable night. So many were the knockdowns that the official scorers got in a muddle as to how many occurred.

Official Scores and Retirement Implications

Given the two judgments in his favour—115-111 and 115-113 against 115-112 for Chisora—Wilder has swerved his own retirement. He is encouraged not only by the victory but by his own bravery in such a testing fight. Chisora leaves the stage as a cult figure in prizefighting, forever remembered for this epic night in the company of the best.

With friends like these, who needs enemies? Chisora, ever the jolly optimist, had predicted 'the O2 will be buzzing this Saturday.' As it turned out, the huge hot-air balloon on the south bank was not that close to being full for his expected swansong, with one end of the arena closed off. But there was a lively rustling in the bushes on the shore of the Thames.

Atmosphere and Celebrations at the O2

If it was to be the end of one of boxing's rock-and-roll careers, London was not going to let him go without a party. The mood of celebration was boosted as customers at other attractions encircling the dome were tempted to join the fun by a late drop in ticket prices. Why not? This was more an occasion than a fight for the marbles, a private joust to resolve which of the two amigos is the better man.

Anthony Joshua's Presence and Future Title Shots

Anthony Joshua, despite appearing to be in semi-retirement, showed up to the O2. When he and Wilder crossed paths accidentally in a corridor as AJ was finding his way to ringside, the American slugger ignored him, deliberately it seemed. It would be a more complicated route back to another title shot for either of them, given that Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Fabio Wardley, and Daniel Dubois are but four of the present or former world champions currently locked into finding who is the true ruler of the heavyweight kingdom.

Round-by-Round Breakdown of the Fight

Chisora the brawler versus Wilder the slugger was one for the cognoscenti and the I-was-there brigade to enjoy for its own sake. Chisora made his entry into the ring, as forever with his face masked by a Union Flag, to a boisterous welcome. However, he was wobbled by puncher Wilder's first right. Heavier blows followed before the Bomber was cautioned for using his height to almost lean Chisora out of the ring.

Wilder met the next charge with a barrage of huge punches which would have finished a less resilient foe. But reeling though he was, the only time he went down was from a slip. Chisora's best hope was to prolong the fight, surviving more bombs in the third before whaling away with some massive blows to win his first round in the fourth.

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Chisora went down again in the fifth, but Wilder was warned for shoving him over. Chisora exacted revenge with bludgeoning rights before slipping over. This was turning into a crowd pleaser, with more clubbing blows from Wilder in the sixth, and he just about edged the seventh.

One huge right came from Chisora in the eighth, and after more brawling, Wilder was deducted a point from what should have been a 10-8 round in his favour. In the ninth, Chisora found Wilder's chin with a left hook, but in the tenth, Chisora was hunched in a corner while Wilder lined up blows.

In the 11th, Chisora went through the ropes for another count, but from somewhere dropped Wilder with a bazooka of his own. The final round was a proper brawl, a fitting climax to an astonishing fight.