Skip to content

Fury easily defends WBC title with 10th-round KO of Chisora

Zac Goodwin - PA Images / PA Images / Getty

Tyson Fury barely broke a sweat in his latest successful WBC heavyweight title defense Saturday, battering Derek Chisora en route to a 10th-round technical knockout victory at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Referee Victor Loughlin stopped the fight late in the 10th after Fury landed a barrage of punches on Chisora, who bled from the mouth and had a swollen right eye.

"The Gypsy King" embraced his opponent immediately after the fight was stopped in a show of respect for his fellow Brit.

"Take nothing away from Derek Chisora, he's an absolute warrior, and it's been a privilege to fight him three times," Fury said after the fight, according to Bad Left Hook's Scott Christ. "He's an absolute British folk hero, and he's grown on everybody. We all love Derek Chisora."

Fury was in complete control from the opening bell, punishing the shorter Chisora with seemingly endless amounts of punches. It looked like he might go down, but "War" managed to absorb the beating and stay on his feet far longer than anyone expected.

With the damage mounting and his eye swelling completely shut, the referee finally put an end to the beating before any more harm could be done.

"Thanks to the ref. As a fighter, you don’t want to stop, you'll go out on your shield," Chisora said. "The ref said, 'If you take more punches, I'm gonna pull you out.'

"And thank you, Tyson. I really appreciate that. Me and Tyson are friends."

The victory runs Fury's professional record to 33-0-1. The win - his fourth consecutive knockout and fourth straight successful title defense - marked his third over Chisora, capping a trilogy that took eight years to finish.

Fury, 34, is now likely to turn his attention toward unifying the heavyweight belts in what would be a blockbuster bout against Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian sat ringside Saturday and was challenged by Fury in an entertaining postfight exchange.

However, the highly anticipated undisputed bout may be delayed. Following Saturday's win, Fury revealed he suffered a right-hand injury during the Chisora bout and may also need elbow surgery that could sideline him for six-to-eight weeks, according to ESPN's Mike Coppinger. Fury and Usyk had discussed a possible spring meeting in Saudi Arabia, per Coppinger.

Chisora, meanwhile, fell to 33-13 and lost via knockout for the first time in nearly four years.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox