LONDON – Deontay Wilder defeated Derek Chisora by split decision in a tough but entertaining heavyweight fight on Saturday to re-enter the conversation for bigger fights.
Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KO) scored two knockdowns but was deducted a point in Chisora’s 50th and final professional fight.
Two judges scored it 115-111 and 115-113 for Wilder, and one scored it 115-112 for Chisora.
Chisora (36-14, 23 KO) went through the ropes twice as both men spent much of the fight hugging each other. Chisora got out of the attack early while Wilder tried to keep the distance with his excellent range.
The American continually threatened with a powerful right hand, but Chisora kept attacking and landed the better shots early on.
Chisora choked his opponent, closing the distance and successfully working over Wilder’s head and body in the first half of the fight, but couldn’t hurt him.
The Briton appeared to tire in the later rounds, with Wilder landing more frequently as the fight went on. Chisora scored a knockdown in round 11, but it was too little, too behind schedule as Wilder controlled the final round to secure the victory.
Chisora, 42, fought twice for the world title in 2012 and 2022 and has become a cult figure in British boxing.
Chisora, fighting at The O2 for the eleventh time in his career, took the London Underground to the venue instead of a private car. Instead of entering through the VIP entrance, he walked through the main doors, passed several fans and was accompanied by his family, pushing their infant son, Zion, in a stroller.
In the co-main event, Viddal Riley defeated Mateusz Masternak and won the EBU European cruiserweight title, and then stood in line to fight for the world title.
Riley won by unanimous decision with scores of 118-110, 118-110 and 119-109. The fight was also an IBF qualifier for the vacant world title.
Riley (14-0, 7 KO) boxed well and did a lot of damage to Masternak (50-7, 33 KO), working behind the jab and following up with his right hand, dealing several bruises and tiring his Polish opponent throughout the fight.