Dominance: Tyson Fury made it a hat-trick of wins over Derek Chisora to retain his WBC heavyweight title
(Picture: Action Images via Reuters)Tyson Fury delivered another signature boxing masterclass to brush aside Derek Chisora again and easily retain his WBC heavyweight title in front of 60,000 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
With Oleksandr Usyk watching on from ringside on Saturday night, the self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ dominated from the first bell and completely controlled every one-sided round in another spiteful clinic that saw him repeatedly dole out severe punishment and force a 10th-round stoppage from a fight that many onlookers felt should have been ended much sooner.
It was Fury’s third win over the brave and determined but hopelessly outclassed Chisora, who was also comprehensively outboxed by his old friend and British rival in two previous contests in 2011 and 2014.
It sent an emphatic message to interested observer Usyk, who defeated Anthony Joshua in their high-profile rematch back in August, with confidence that a deal is close for the two heavyweight champions to lock horns in early 2023 to crown the first undisputed king of boxing’s blue-riband division since Lennox Lewis achieved the feat in 1999.
A confident Fury rained down the x-rated insults on Usyk as the two men squared up in a heated staredown on the ring apron afterwards, with WBO interim champion Joe Joyce - who Fury has repeatedly said he wants to face next if the undisputed clash cannot be made - also involving himself in the comical and manufactured post-fight histrionics.
However, when exactly that fight will take place is now subject to serious question marks, with Fury admitting that he needs surgery on a right elbow injury that will require an estimated recovery time of between six and eight weeks.
That would appear to end any hopes of a showdown - likely to be held in Saudi Arabia - between Fury and Usyk in the desired window of late February or early March.
In Saturday’s chief support bout, Daniel Dubois bounced back from a disastrous first round in which he was knocked down and twice took a knee and defied a nasty leg injury to emphatically stop South Africa’s former cruiserweight champion Kevin Lerena in the first defence of the WBA ‘regular’ heavyweight title he won from Trevor Bryan in Miami over the summer.
Elsewhere on the undercard, Denys Berinchyk - supported by compatriot Usyk and dressed in full Ukraine military uniform on his way to the ring - outpointed Yvan Mendy to add the European lightweight belt to his WBO International crown, while Chatham light-heavyweight Karol Itauma dominated and stopped Ireland-based Slovakian Vladimir Belujsky late on.
Exciting teenage super-featherweight prospect Royston Barney-Smith blasted through Nicaragua’s Cruz Perez inside the first minute and there were early bounce-back wins on the night for Fury’s cousin Hosea Burton and best friend Isaac Lowe.
