Deontay Wilder won a thrilling split decision at the O2 on Saturday night, spoiling a potential farewell party for Derek Chisora who forced the Londoner into retirement.
The Bronze Bombers won 115-111, 112-115, 115-113 on the scorecards, marking the pair’s 50th match of their illustrious careers.
It was a fight that defined Last Chance Saloon in many ways, with warhorse Chisora insisting throughout the fight that he would hang up his gloves after Saturday’s fight, and Wilder betting on his last chance to summon the power of a generation that has vanished since his grueling trilogy with Tyson Fury.
Chisora bids farewell to London crowd
As much as that pressure threatened to pay off for the American fighter, Chisora fell onto the ropes during the match, earning him a two-count, albeit by accident.
Thunderous shots, dramatic near-misses, trips to the canvas, and relentless back-and-forth over 12 rounds seem to satisfy the London crowd who were expecting such a clinic of grit.
“I’m going to go home and have a school run…I want to say thank you very much. I know why we lost the match,” Chisora told DAZN.
“Thank you so much, England.”
Chisora took the Tube with his daughter to his “farewell” match before arriving at the O2 through the public entrance with a large crowd of fans in tow.
The flashpoint came shortly after the opening round when both men got tangled on the ropes and Wilder nearly pushed his opponent out of the ring.
Chisora’s cornerman ran into the ring.
An enraged Chisora made his feelings known and members of his team rushed in to disentangle their rivals.
Wilder viciously exploded with a right hand to test Chisora’s chin at the start of the second bout. Twice he had his opponent wobbled in the corners, but Chisora recovered well to push the American back.
Already exhausted, the shots began to fly and looked like they were going to take Chisora to the canvas under his own power. It was a fight that teetered on the verge of exploding, and the expectant crowd accepted the promised brawl.
Just as he did in the second, Wilder had some early joy with a right uppercut into the corner at the start of the third.
The Alabama man then missed a dangerous overhand right that threatened to end the fight, but Chisora nailed one of his own.
Derek Chisora shoots Deontay Wilder in the face
Chisora’s bizarre moment of hesitation in his own corner led to further wild attacks from Wilder, after which the American was separated by the referee.
In the fourth, as both fighters stumbled into a clinch, Wilder began to tire, and Chisora took advantage of that by hitting him with a right hand to the face, and both fighters exchanged blows until the bell.
At this point, the momentum seemed to have shifted to Chisora, who once again landed a sharp overhand right into the corner, but in the fifth he struggled with his shot and was unsteady on his feet, falling twice to the canvas.
The sixth round was a grueling and punitive match between two proud warriors, lacking in finesse, but filled with grit and toughness, with a similar result.
Wilder landed a beautiful uppercut, but Chisora managed to shake it off before breaking through with a right hook as Gong arrived.
The battle raged from beginning to end.
A thunderous thud sounded as the London crowd was rekindled, and another tangle produced another awkward tumble.
A hard right hand from Wilder then dragged Chisora into the bottom of the eighth, and the American continued his desperate attack against the ropes, eventually taking him down.
Chisora recovered to beat the count, but again welcomed a club shot from Wilder that fell between the ropes. The referee apparently deducted a point from Wilder because he thought he pushed Chisora into the ropes.
In the 11th, both fighters fell, with Chisora going down the ropes first, and then Wilder going down under the weight of Chisora’s shot.
With the raucous atmosphere at their disposal, they went head-to-head until the final bell rang to end Chisora’s career.
Riley wins World Title Eliminator
In the penultimate match of the night, Vidal Riley defeated Mateusz Masternak by unanimous decision to win the European cruiserweight title in an IBF world title eliminator.
Riley had little trouble with a dominant performance against a veteran opponent who entered the fight with a 50-6 record as one of the division’s toughest and most stubborn champions.
He struggled to withstand Riley’s speed and elusiveness as the London native improved his perfect record to 14-0.
“It feels good! European champion sounds good. British, British, now European. Talk to me,” Riley told DAZN.
“They say I’m world class. Only world class can beat Master Knack.
“I showed that I can go to the deep end and come out with two belts.
“There’s always going to be doubters, but if you can win everything I’ve won in 14 games, well talk.”
London’s Denzel Bentley stopped Endry Saavedra in seven rounds to win the WBO interim middleweight title and make his first return to the ring since December 2024.
Watch Caroline Dubois v Terry Harper and Ellie Scotney v Mayeli Flores live on Sky Sports from 7pm on Sunday.
