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Mike CoppingerESPN
Tyson Fury retained his WBC and lineal heavyweight championship with a one-sided beating of Derek Chisora that was finally stopped by the referee at 2:51 of Round 10 on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Chisora, who has now lost to Fury three times, never landed a punch of consequence but absorbed plenty of such shots from “The Gypsy King” in a bout that looked like it should have been stopped much sooner.
Chisora’s trademark toughness was on display throughout in what amounted to a tuneup bout for Fury, who is in talks to meet Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship in springtime in Saudi Arabia.
The unified heavyweight champion from Ukraine was ringside and immediately jumped up on the ring apron after Fury called him out. “You’re next you little b—-,” Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) said as he stood face-to-face with Usyk.
Fury then mocked Usyk’s two victories over Anthony Joshua, whom he described as a mere “bodybuilder.”
“Well, I’m no bodybuilder you sucker,” he said. “You ugly little man. Let’s get it on!”
Fury then mocked Usyk’s two heavyweight-title victories. The 35-year-old former undisputed cruiserweight champion smiled without saying a word as he absorbed Fury’s typical histrionics.
And that Fury-Usyk matchup, one of the best that can be made in all of boxing, is expected to come next. But Fury said he first will probably require surgery on his right elbow that will sideline him for six to eight weeks. He previously underwent surgery on his left elbow to remove bone spurs following an 11th-round KO of Deontay Wilder last October in a trilogy fight.
Fury also said he suffered a right-hand injury Saturday. “We’ll see when I’ll be ready for this fight [with Usyk]. We’ll see when it can be made.”
The 34-year-old, who is ESPN’s No. 6 pound-for-pound boxer, claimed he was retired following an April TKO victory over Dillian Whyte but that lasted all of four months. Fury picked up where he left off on Saturday with another brutal beatdown of a recognizable heavyweight from England.
The English fighter’s impressive offensive arsenal was on display throughout: a lead right-hand uppercut, a double jab that set up a straight right hand and plenty of mauling in the clinch, where he forced Chisora’s shaky legs to carry all of Fury’s 268-plus pounds.
With the temperature dipped into the low 40s at the outdoor stadium packed with nearly 60,000 fans, it appeared Fury toyed with Chisora and likely could have ended the fight much sooner if he tried. Fury acknowledged afterward that he “needed some rounds” and was “landing shots that would knock anybody spark out.”
“There was no way he was going to stop himself, the referee needed to pull him out or else he was going to get knocked out,” Fury said.
Indeed, Chisora (33-13, 23 KOs) needed to be saved from himself. When the fight was stopped as he stopped throwing punches while Fury doled out punishment, the 38-year-old’s right eye was swollen shut and blood was spilling out of his mouth.
Fury connected on 205 punches, more than double his foe. In seven of 10 rounds, Fury landed 50% more of his power shots.
“Thanks to the ref, as a warrior you want to go out on your shield,” said Chisora, who has now lost four of his past five fights, including a decision defeat to Usyk in 2020. The Zimbabwe-born fighter was coming off a split-decision victory over fellow gatekeeper Kubrat Pulev in July.
Fury scored a unanimous-decision victory over Chisora in 2011 before stopping him in Round 7 of the 2014 rematch. “We’d like to see him and Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi,” Chisora said.
He could be nearing retirement, but Fury has plenty of marquee fights ahead of him.
“Usyk is up for the challenge,” Fury said. “He came over tonight, so fair play to him. He’s not an easy boxer to figure out. He’s a slick southpaw mover with very good skills. … Sometimes the big fights don’t happen for whatever reason, but I have a good feeling this one is going to happen.
“But if it doesn’t for XYZ reasons, then we’ll have Joe Joyce at Wembley next year as well. But providing the Usyk one does happen, I’ll do him then I’ll have Joyce at Wembley, why not? … I’m back on top of the world ruling the division with an iron fist.”