Derek Chisora scored a remarkable upset victory over Joe Joyce via unanimous decision in London on Saturday, following 10 grueling rounds between the two British rivals.

Joyce, who was heavily favored, was knocked down in the ninth round after enduring a barrage of punches throughout the fight.

This result leaves Joyce’s career at a crossroads, with three defeats in his last four bouts.

Chisora, eager for a brawl, came out swinging from the opening bell. Joyce absorbed everything and continued to come forward, resulting in the anticipated slugfest.

By the fourth round, the crowd rallied behind Chisora, urging him to press on despite the onslaught. Whenever Joyce seemed to gain control, Chisora, at 40 years old, responded with clean, powerful punches. Although he was clearly fatigued by the fifth round, and nearly collapsed onto his stool at the end of the seventh, he remained a difficult target for Joyce.

Chisora received vocal support from undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, who offered advice and encouragement from ringside. The crowd erupted in the ninth round when Joyce was knocked down.

Chisora, leveraging his experience, managed to dance around the ring to secure the victory. In what might be his final fight at The O2 Arena, Chisora was warmly received by the London crowd, solidifying his status as a cult hero of British boxing as he approaches 50 professional fights.

Despite the loss, Joyce insisted he will continue his career, although many viewed this bout as a must-win. Chisora, meanwhile, will relish in the glory of his victory and likely seek more opportunities following this spirited win.

“I knew he [Joyce] was tough, but Jesus Christ, that guy is tough,” Chisora said at the post-fight press conference. “For a couple of rounds, I was moving back, my legs were just all over the place. But, you know, it was just two big guys in there. The whole point is to stay up and just keep moving. It was beautiful and tough at the same time. Yeah, it was hard.”

Regarding Usyk’s advice, Chisora said, “He was saying ‘move, move, move,’ but everybody was telling me to move. I wanted to move but my legs didn’t want to move.”

Promoter Frank Warren praised both fighters’ efforts, saying he’d never seen anything like the clash before. “So, were you entertained or what tonight?” Warren asked at his post-fight news conference. “I didn’t think it would go the distance. I thought the favorite was Joe. But you know, it takes two gladiators to create a fight like that. Both of them, you’ve got to take your hat off to them. I thought it was the last two rounds which decided it in Derek’s favor. It was a very close fight, but amazing.”

Asked about Joyce’s future, Warren said, “It’s too soon [to say]. I felt the loser in this fight would have nowhere to go. But I never predicted or thought it would be a fight like this. I thought it would be competitive, but not like this in a million years.”

Photos courtesy of Queensberry