Usyk Overcomes Game Chisora
In a classic boxer vs slugger matchup former undisputed Cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk walked out with a unanimous decision (117-112 & 115-113 x2) over a game Derek ‘War’ Chisora on Halloween night in the Matchroom bubble.
Chisora came fast out the gates, as most thought he would, and looked to detonate that big overhand right on Usyk. The former undisputed Cruiserweight king looked uncomfortable in the early goings as he moved out of the way of the looping shots that his opponent threw.
Usyk seemed to begin to work Del Boy out in the third and fourth but was still wary of the heavy shots of Chisora. The Ukrainian did begin to land straight left hands and created openings by shifting to the left and opening angles, but his shots weren’t making a dent in his three stone heavier opponent.
Chisora plodded forward in the fifth and his game plan was clear, use his size and strength to walk the smaller man down and end the fight early. But the 33-year-old Usyk was beginning to get fully into his rhythm and was making Chisora miss more and more. Derek’s friend and former Usyk foe, Tony Bellew could be heard from ringside throughout the fight shouting advice to his Chisora.
The biggest fright of the fight was toward the end of the seventh, Chisora looked like he was tiring and Usyk landed a big left, right combination and had the 36-year-old Londoner staggered and stopped in his tracks and Del Boy would have been glad to hear the bell ring and if there was 30 more seconds left in the round Usyk may have forced through the knockdown or stoppage.
Round eight and nine went the same way as the rounds that preceded them, Chisora was wildly swinging and Usyk was popping out lovely combinations and outmanoeuvring the heavier man.
Chisora tried and was brave throughout the fight but by the end of the twelfth he was seemingly well beaten by the crafty Ukrainian. The scores were read out and Usyk was crowned the winner and improved to 19-0.
After the fight Usyk said; “Chisora is a big guy, a hard guy and is a real test at Heavyweight. I was 3 out of 10, I have not boxed in a year.” When asked if he could be world champion at Heavyweight, he replied, “Absolutely, the undisputed world heavyweight champion, not just world champion.”
Chisora, rather deludedly, felt like he had done more than enough to win; “I had a few rounds away, but I was pushing the pace, but the judges saw it a different way. He did very well, I am gutted. In the Heavyweight game you have to fight not box, I gave a couple rounds away.”
The biggest question coming out of the fight is whether Usyk can hang with the biggest and the best in the Heavyweight world. Usyk is the WBO mandatory challenger to Anthony Joshua but can he put a dent and deal with the sheer size of AJ? Only time will tell.