Fight of the year contender: Chisora outslugs Joyce in brutal battle
Heavyweights put on dramatic thriller in the twilight of their careers
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There were no world title implications, pound-for-pound conversations or significant sanctioning body rankings at stake when veteran British heavyweight sluggers Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora, both of whom have delivered plenty of thrills through the years but are now in the twilight of the careers, squared off in a fight that was universally expected to be a slugfest on Saturday.
To no surprise it was exactly that as the favored Joyce and Chisora delivered a bruising battle and a fight of year contender in which both were on the brink of being stopped.
In the end it was Chisora, who despite appearing wobbly and about to go down at any time during the final few rounds, scored an out-of-nowhere ninth-round knockdown and went on to win an upset unanimous decision in the fierce main event of a Queensberry Promotions card at The O2 in London, where Chisora ran his career record in the building to 10-1.
The judges had it 97-92, 96-94 and 96-94 for Chisora, who at the press conference when the fight was announced was prophetic.
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