At the Excel Arena, London, there was never any risk of a fight breaking out between headline combatants Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora. Though marketed as a pick ’em domestic scrap, Fury vs Chisora II played out as predictably as many had thought, with a savvier Fury creating distance and firing with the jab.
In a mostly dull affair, Tyson Fury (23-0, 17 KO) tamed and ultimately beat up an overmatched Dereck Chisora on November 29th, 2014, who was eventually retired by his corner in the 10th round. Following the win, Fury picked up both the British and European Heavyweight titles, and won what was billed as a WBO title eliminator.
On the surface, it seemed that Chisora (20-5, 13 KO) was too vertically challenged to compete with Fury. Granted, the smaller man is usually in for the harder night’s work – but this can’t explain why he succumbed to such repeated punishment.
Chisora may have stood 7 inches shorter, but he would have likely found greater success on the inside had he mixed up his attacks. A predictable offense has always been one of Chisora’s weaknesses, but despite this, he still hasn’t employed a varied attack to his game. Fury saw his opponent’s shots coming a mile off and neutralized it with little effort.
Then there was the Fury offense. His greater smarts, coupled with a lethal cocktail of jabs and straights, placed Dereck Chisora in an unwinnable fight. Of course, being on the receiving end of punishment didn’t just bring about attrition to Chisora, but also battle damage. Soon enough he was fighting with a swollen eye that only continued to worsen.
Fury may have won, but in the grand scheme of things this dustup seems more or less meaningless. Though an ‘official’ WBO title eliminator, the boxing fandom needed little convincing as to the fight’s victor and rightful challenger to Wladimir Klitschko’s throne. Nonetheless, Fury now moves closer to a world title bid in his next bout.
As for Chisora, it’s hard to imagine where he goes from here. His ill-mannered antics have served him well, doing wonders for his career despite a limited ability inside the ring. Fights with Heavyweight elites such as Vitali Klitschko and David Haye would arguably have not materialized without them.
However, a string of losses and controversial wins have tainted his record and public opinion. His rematch with Fury is also another damaging blow. At domestic level, Chisora likely has a future – especially given the sparse climate in the division – but anything beyond that would seem unlikely. Perhaps we will see him sharing a ring soon with Britain’s newest Heavyweight poster boy, Anthony Joshua?
Fury vs Chisora II: Undercard
An intriguing matchup between Chris Eubank Jr. and Billy Joe Saunders unfolded on the event’s undercard. Overall, Saunders simply proved to be too much too soon for the son of British boxing legend Chris Eubank. However, to Eubank Jr.’s credit, he came on strong in the later rounds and made his opponent seriously uncomfortable thanks to a powerful – yet often wild – arsenal. Not a classic by any means, the contest still easily eclipsed that of the evening’s main event. (Saunders vs Eubank Jr Boxing Highlights)
Saunders, who retained his British, European and Commonwealth straps, won via Split Decision, resulting from scores of 115-114, 113-116, 115-113. The grudge match may be over, but it’s likely a rematch would go down well – certainly on UK shores – once Eubank Jr. clocks up another couple of wins at domestic level.
Do you have any thoughts on Fury vs Chisora II? Was this a drab affair – or a smart boxing lesson from an underestimated Heavyweight? Was Chisora too battle-worn to compete? Can he rebuild? And does Fury have what it takes to dethrone any of the division’s reigning title holders?
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