Chisora Beats Joyce In Heavyweight Upset At O2 Arena

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Derek 'War' Chisora (35-13, 23 KOs) showed he's not finished as a fighter, defeating Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs) by a comfortable ten-round unanimous decision in their heavyweight bout on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.

Chisora, 40, used his power game to overpower 2016 Olympic silver medalist Joyce, knocking him out in the ninth round and punching him out in the tenth round to win the following judges' points decision:

– 97-92
– 96-94
– 96-94

Chisora's resurgence

Joyce came into the fight as the favorite and was expected to finish Chisora. However, Joyce's career seems to be at a low point after losing his third fight in his last four bouts.

In the ninth, Chisora dropped Joyce with an unprepared right hand. Joyce backs Chisora into the ropes and shoots him. He was not ready for Chisora's right hand that put him on the ground, which came out in an instant.

Joyce fought hard after getting up, but Chisora finished strong, landing right hands and disappointing the crowd.

Chisora had the fans at the O2 Arena eating out of his hand during the bout but he relied on them to give him the energy needed in rounds eight to ten to pull out the win.

By the end of the fight, Chisora's right eye was swollen and almost closed. It was lucky for him that it was not closed completely.

Joyce's Unexpected Defeat

This defeat is very painful for Joyce who was coming off a win earlier this year and he was hoping that tonight's fight will motivate him to return to the top of the heavyweight division.

Joyce had trouble dealing with Chisora's pressure and accurate power shots, which he caught repeatedly. Chisora won the fight from the second to the seventh round by putting Joyce on the defensive with his offense.

In the eighth round, Joyce hurt Chisora with a left hook to the head, his legs looked weak. Somehow, Chisora avoided getting kicked out by using upper body movement. At the end of the eighth, Chisora staggered back to his corner and appeared to be done.

Chisora came out fired up in the ninth hour, repeatedly making Joyce miss with his powerful shots and hitting him with counters to the head and body. Towards the end of the round, Joyce positioned himself in front of Chisora when he attacked and was dropped with a right hand.

It wasn't a big shot, but it caught Joyce when her legs weren't in a position to take the punch. After Joyce got back to his feet, he finished some solid rounds, chasing Chisora who looked very tired and using movement to avoid him.

“Chisora, I'm happy for him, I'm proud of him, and he's a British boxing worker who has been in charge for years,” said Tyson Fury on social media, reacting to Derek Chisora's victory over Joe Joyce on Saturday night at the O2 Arena.

“He's had a lot of fights and he's entertained us all a lot of times, and what a way to come out on top. God bless you, Derek Chisora. I greet you; you are a man.”