Deontay Wilder went into hostile territory on Saturday and picked up a pivotal split-decision win over Derek Chisora in heavyweight action at the O2 Arena in London, England.<\/p>\n
The fight got off to a chaotic start with Chisora’s cornerman rushing into the ring to break up the two fighters. Both fighters came out throwing wild punches looking for an early finish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chisora continued winging hooks at Wilder’s body, while The Bronze Bomber started to find some success with uppercuts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two veterans really started showing their age in the third round. There were fewer exchanges and a lot more grappling as Chisora forced Wilder to carry his weight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chisora’s strategy paid off in the fourth round. He came alive and landed some serious shots to the head in his best round of the early going. <\/p>\n
Chisora hit the mat twice in the fifth round, but it was due to Wilder pushing his opponent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wilder turned the tide a bit in the sixth round. He cut open Chisora’s eye and outboxed his opponent, finding some rhythm behind his jab.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That work paid off in the eighth when Wilder’s power punches added up and he knocked Chisora through the ropes. Chisora beat the count, but Wilder had a point taken away.<\/p>\n
By the 10th, the fight devolved back into two gassed heavyweights swinging for the fences. There were wildly fun exchanges throughout, but neither man would go down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The madness continued in the championship rounds with Chisora going between the ropes and Wilder slipping to the mat with neither being ruled a knockdown in the 11th.<\/p>\n
The win is huge for the 40-year-old’s hopes of remaining relevant in the heavyweight division. The Bronx Bomber has had a tough run since 2020. Back-to-back losses to Tyson Fury were compounded by losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. <\/p>\n
The former heavyweight champion has been trying to get back since. A knockout win over Tyrrell Herndon set up the matchup with Chisora. <\/p>\n
His 42-year-old opponent vowed that this was his final fight regardless of the result, but he was on a pretty good run. Wins over Gerald Washington, Joe Joyce and Otto Wallin gave him the prime opportunity to end with a bout against Wilder. <\/p>\n
The victor, on the other hand, doesn’t have retirement on the brain just yet. He’s determined to get back into the title picture. <\/p>\n