Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora did not put on a boxing masterpiece today in London.
But they had a fight. A wild, chaotic, messy, terribly-refereed fight between veteran heavyweights ages 40 and 42, with one saying that he was for sure retiring, and his goal coming in was to take his opponent with him.
Chisora, 42, didn’t beat Wilder and take him into retirement, as the 40-year-old former titleholder scored a split decision victory over 12 rounds of increasingly exhausted, often scrappy bout that
started off chaotic and only got more so as the rounds ticked by.
Amazingly, two men who looked like they’d tapped into their reserve tanks by the third round were there in the 12th round, still fighting, still throwing haymakers, still barely hanging on when thudding shots landed on their heads.
It’s the sort of fight destined to be polarizing among fans and critics. Those who tune in to see the “sweet science,” to see top athletes in their primes, high-end technical displays, the true best that boxing has to offer, likely will have no time to watch two late-stage heavyweights throw wild shots at one another, wobbling about the ring, falling over from exhaustion and balance issues, but always finding ways to stay in the battle and just keep grinding, looking for the win.
A win that wasn’t going to bring a title belt or even some sanctioning body necklace or other trinket. Wilder will now move on to something more lucrative, of course, possibly a long overdue fight with Anthony Joshua, which in a strange way is probably “hotter” now than it has been in years, with Wilder involved in a crowd-rocking battle on British soil against fan favorite Chisora.
Chisora, it appears, actually does plan to retire. But we’ll see. It’s boxing. Many retirements don’t stick the first time, or for some top stars, the second or third times, either.
Today’s fight was one to remember as much for what it wasn’t as what it was. The referee had a miserable time in there, and at times appeared plenty biased in Chisora’s favor, though that’s just perception. Both fighters fouled, repeatedly, throughout the fight. Both got hurt. Both kept going. In the third round or so, it was easy to wonder what kind of miserable shape they’d both be in by the ninth or 10th. And we found out.
It was ugly and raw, little by way of skill on display in favor of wild, wound up punches, aggressive smothering and clinching.
But there was a beauty to it, too. The fight said plenty about the sort of mad men and women who do this for a living. The strange spirit that guides them through punishment and fatigue, physical and mental, that would crack most of us within a few moments.
When the arena’s DJ hit Alphaville’s “Forever Young” after the fight was over, as these two middle aged warriors embraced one another and basked in the moment, a little wave of emotion came over me. A moment in time for these two men, and even a little bit for me. I’ve watched the entire careers of both Wilder and Chisora. They’ve had their ups and downs, their controversies, their highlights, their huge nights in victory and defeat. One says he’s done. The other isn’t far off, even with the win. Their time in the sport is near the end.
This was a fight sort of beyond whatever legacy they’ll really leave, but one I’ll remember on its pure emotion and ridiculous entertainment value. When Wilder’s done, when we look back, we’ll talk about the Fury fights and the many sizzle reel knockouts. We’ll debate the merits or deficiencies of his win-loss record, and what his long WBC title run really meant, good or bad. Things like that. With Chisora, we’ll think of the wild press conference moments, a lot of game losses, and hopefully, people will remember his fighter’s heart, and that the W-L tally doesn’t mean everything. Derek Chisora’s had more impact on boxing than a lot of people with much prettier winning percentages.
However gnarly it got in the ring, however little “sweetness” or “science” we saw, there was a lot on hand to admire. It reminded me of Coppola’s Megalopolis, where you could dismiss it as a catastrophe or find something compelling in all the clutter. It’s all about your personal perspective.
Incredible fight. Awful fight. It doesn’t matter. It’s my belief that only true fighters, whatever their other quirks, whatever their flaws in the ring, can deliver something like Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora did today.
