Derek Chisora vs Anthony Joshua was once unfathomable – here’s why it now makes sense

Chisora’s final fight in Britain saw him bully Otto Wallin, and with Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk floated as future opponents, ‘Del Boy’ holds a mythical title that could attract ‘AJ’

There was a party in Manchester on Saturday night to celebrate the last fight on British soil of Derek “Del Boy” Chisora, and over 12,000 fans serenaded the old warrior.

An hour or two earlier, in a corridor at the new Co-op Live arena, Chisora had broken down in tears when he realised that more than 50 pictures of his 48 fights had been framed and hung. He was overwhelmed walking down his own personal hall of fame.

He was facing Otto Wallin – who had caused Tyson Fury all sorts of problems back in 2019 – in what was the Briton’s 49th fight, and the towering Swede played his role as the villain perfectly; he predicted a shock, a bad end to the Chisora fantasy and a knockout defeat, but in the ring he came without a plan and with even less desire.

The crowd roared Del Boy on from the moment he appeared on the stage, his face obscured by a Union flag bandana and his intentions clear as he howled his way to the ring.

It was, at that point, pure pantomime. Chisora is now a national treasure, which is one of the oddest twists in sport; the same Chisora has been banned, fined, ignored, knocked out, brutally exposed, but now – in his 19th year as a pro and his 49th fight – he is suddenly adored.

Chisora, 41, did manage to turn back the clock, fighting with a steady urgency behind his calculating assaults; he was smarter than normal, sharper, and simply battered Wallin from corner to corner.

Suddenly, part one of his retirement tour started to look a bit premature. A few days before the first bell, the fight had been upgraded from a goodbye party to a final eliminator for the IBF heavyweight title. Seldom has Chisora looked so focused – it was a delight to watch.

Derek Chisora speaks to the crowd after winning the IBF world heavyweight title eliminator bout against Otto Wallin (Richard Sellers/PA Wire)

Del Boy, to use his nickname (he once owned and drove one of the original three-wheelers from Only Fools And Horses), was cut in the fifth, and it was a large and ugly wound tucked under his right eyebrow. It bled relentlessly, and the fun fight often had exchanges with Chisora’s blood flying through the air in a dramatic plume under the neon lights. It was one-sided, but it was still gruelling. The slugfest with blood theme was exactly what the midnight fans had come for – they wanted one last stand from the man who simply refused to follow boxing’s rules.

There was a halt to the action in the sixth round when the excellent referee, John Latham, called up the ringside doctor to inspect the gash. The crowd fell silent but screamed when the doctor allowed the action to continue. An exchange of wild punches in the eighth will not be forgotten in a long time, and in the ninth, Wallin went down when a delayed reaction sent him stumbling backwards before he toppled over. Chisora was irresistible, blood flying all over the place, his fists pummelling Wallin and the crowd singing out his name. It was an extreme atmosphere.

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Derek Chisora, with a cut and blood on his face, looks on while fighting Otto Wallin (Getty Images)

The pair often stood toe to toe and slugged away, and Chisora won every single exchange. Wallin should have moved more, should have used his boxing brain, but instead he became victim No 36 in Chisora’s long, long career. In the final seconds of the 12th and last round, Wallin was down again, crumpled by a selection of lefts and rights. The bell sounded as the big Swede struggled up, and Chisora was already celebrating. One judge made it so close that without the knockdowns, Chisora would have lost. It was the night’s only sour note.

Chisora dropped Wallin twice en route to victory (Getty Images)

Chisora got the decision and then, in the centre of the ring, he held up pictures of the three men he wants for his 50th and last fight: Daniel Dubois, Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua. It was his wish list and stranger things have happened in the old game. There might be a fight in Africa, there might be a fight in Riyadh, but Chisora’s promoter, Frank Warren, also introduced the possibility of a final dance at Wembley Stadium.

Del Boy will need a long time to let his cuts heal, his body recover, and then he can start the selection process to find out who gets the chance to fight him for the title of People’s Champion. That is a belt that all boxers secretly crave, and right now it belongs to Chisora. What a business.