In a heavyweight slugfest that lived up to the hype, 40-year-old Derek Chisora earned a unanimous decision over Joe Joyce in a crossroads fight at the O2 arena in London, England. All credit to both guys for leaving it all when the final bell sounded. 

The first rounds saw lots of give and take by both fighters as neither fighter would give an inch to the other.  By the middle rounds, the 40-year-old veteran Chisora looked like he was about to slow down as Joyce, who was beginning to take over as he started to land more consistently.  In the 8th round. Chisora was badly hurt, and it looked like it was going to end.

It carried over into the 9th as Joyce was starting to really pour it on until a wild right hand out of nowhere put Joyce on the canvas.  After a wild and crazy 10th round, Chisora found another reservoir deep inside him to finish the round and the fight strong, as both fighters ended the fight with nothing left in the tank.

The scores were 96-94 (twice) and 97-92, all for Chisora, who showed that he had the heart the size of the entire UK with this performance.  He also announced that he will fight twice more to get to 50 fights before he retires for good. 

After his 3rd loss in his last 4 fights, it’s hard to say where Joyce goes from here.  At age 38, the options are very few for him at the moment. But he does deserve credit for giving a gutsy performance in a losing effort.  

Salute to both guys for a phenomenal heavyweight fight.

Photo Credit; Boxing Scene