In what he has promised would be his farewell fight, Derek Chisora was trumped via split-decision on home turf by Deontay Wilder. Eddie Hearn, who promoted Chisora for some of the second half of his career, has revealed how he scored the bout.
In a drama-filled clash, it was 42-year-old Chisora who twice dropped to the canvas, with those two knockdowns ultimately costing ‘Del Boy’ the fight – although he could have been disqualified earlier on when his cornerman entered the ring.
Still, the bout seems to be a fitting end to the near two-decade long career of Britain’s cult hero heavyweight, but his retirement is yet to be formally confirmed, possibly due to the belief that he could have got the decision on Saturday night.
Speaking to Boxing King Media, Hearn admitted that he felt as though ‘The Bronze Bomber’ did enough to win the contest by two or three rounds.
“[It was] entertaining. I thought Wilder won by two or three rounds but it was a good fight, a competitive fight.”
In an interview with The Stomping Ground, Hearn expanded further on his verdict, disagreeing with the view of judge Phil Edwards, who scored the bout 115-112 in Chisora’s favour.
“It was tough for Del, I thought the right man won. Close fight, Del was amazing and I thought Wilder boxed well to be fair. He was under a lot of pressure, took some good shots and I thought he started to get his confidence a little bit, because his confidence has been lacking.
“I didn’t think that Del Boy won it by three rounds, what was it 115-112? I thought that he closed well and won the last round.”
A long-awaited showdown between Wilder and Anthony Joshua is in-demand once again, with ‘AJ’ left pondering whether he should pursue a dust-up with ‘The Bronze Bomber’, Tyson Fury, or both.
