Joe Joyce came up short against heavyweight stalwart Derek Chisora at London’s O2 Arena in a fight that many billed as a must-win.
The fight was a slobberknocker by definition, with Chisora’s front-foot aggressive pressure catching the eyes of the judges but Joyce’s thudding counters taking their toll.
Despite ‘Del Boy’ looking almost out on his feet on a couple of occasions, it was him who scored the most significant blow – an ninth round knockdown that left Joyce in need of a stoppage in the tenth for the win.
It didn’t come, and Chisora took it on all three scorecards to avoid his fourteenth loss and keep fans interested in his final two fights – he has announced he will only retire once he reaches 50 in total and this was number 48.
As for Joyce, and although he made it to the final bell, it’s a bad look on a career that was already on the ropes. His back-to-back losses to Zhilei Zhang in 2023 put him firmly out of the title picture and this result only pushed him away further.
In the aftermath of the thrilling but damaging performance, many fans and pundits said they would like to see both men retire. Chisora certainly won’t and Joyce has now confirmed he intends to fight on too.
“It wasn’t to be last night. A great battle. Congratulations Derek Chisora on your victory! Thanks to my fans for supporting me, I’ll be back…”
Where the Olympic Silver Medalist goes and who he targets is anybody’s guess, but there are plenty of up and comers on the British heavyweight scene that may appreciate his name on their record.
Chisora has announced that he is open to a trilogy fight with longtime rival Dillian Whyte.
