Saturday Night Boxing: Opinions and Observations: Chisora-Wilder

In a welcome surprise, the Derek Chisora-Deontay Wilder fight turned out to be full of thrilling action. Although both fighters could qualify for the old-timers’ heavyweight circuit, Saturday's bout wasn't about going through the motions to pick up a payday; both were there to crack. The fight featured heavy artillery, massive momentum swings, knockdowns, and enough dubious calls by referee Mark Bates to supply content for an entire weekend training seminar.

Ultimately, Wilder, the former heavyweight champion who traveled from the U.S. to the U.K. for the fight, won by split decision, and he was the deserving victor. He did have to survive a couple of rocky moments, and he was certainly hit hard at points in the fight. But he consistently landed better shots throughout the bout and had Chisora seriously hurt during multiple occasions. He was also credited with two knockdowns (in the eighth and the eleventh). I thought that he had a good case for winning eight or nine rounds.

Before getting into the nuts and bolts of the fight, I want to focus on that unforgettable eighth round, which is a clear candidate for round of the year. During the round, both fighters may have been hurt multiple times, Wilder in the opening and closing seconds and Chisora throughout the rest of the frame. Wilder scored his first knockdown during the round and perhaps had Chisora ready to go, but then somehow he lost a point and then got rocked. It was riveting action!

Wilder thrilled after the win
Photo courtesy of MF Pro

When Chisora was successful throughout Saturday's fight, it was primarily with two punches: his signature overhand right from distance, and a left hook to the body when in close. But even when he landed his best overhand rights, Wilder took them well.

Unfortunately, Chisora also smothered himself too much on the inside. He was determined to go-for-broke in terms of getting in close but didn't offer enough variation in his attack. Even when he would get in through the front door, he didn't throw enough punches or offer any tricky lateral movement or shifting. As a result, Wilder would be able to clinch or grapple with relative ease (and this was when Chisora wasn't clinching or grappling himself).

As a surprise, Wilder, known for his straight right, featured an assortment of punches throughout the fight. He had success at times at spinning out from an onrushing Chisora with a short left hook to the temple. He landed a couple of impressive right uppercuts. Later in the fight he connected with solid jabs. He even landed a double left hook combination to the body!

Now it's no secret that Wilder made his career with his straight right hand, but his offensive variety on Saturday illustrated that he contained more tools in his toolbox than he often displayed. That double left hook to the body on Saturday certainly didn't look like it was the first time he had experimented with that combination. It seemed fluid. That he hadn't always featured it or other secondary punches throughout his career is on him.

At a minimum what it suggests is that Wilder must be an intriguing gym fighter. The punch variety is there. In some instances throughout his career he has flashed a solid jab or a left hook, but it didn't occur enough. In most of his fights, his right hand was good enough to get the job done, but maybe against Tyson Fury or Joe Parker, it's possible that an expanded punch arsenal would have done him a world of good. And as we were reminded of on Saturday, he didn't lack other punches, but why he so seldom turned to them is another question.

Saturday's fight was marred by referee Mark Bates, who now rivals Phil Edwards (who turned in the lone card for Chisora among the judges) as being the most offensively biased British fight official working today. Bates somehow let a cornerman get into the ring during the first round to help separate the fighters. That itself could have been grounds for a disqualification, but Bates couldn't even be bothered to take a point.

In the third round Chisora was hurt and froze in the corner. Yet Bates stopped an oncoming Wilder and allowed Chisora to have more time to recover.

In the eighth, Chisora went through the ropes and not only did his team help him get back in the ring (also grounds for disqualification), but then Bates decided to take a point from Wilder, who didn't do anything particularly egregious during the sequence. It should be noted that Wilder had scored a knockdown earlier in the round, so Bates essentially negated the extra point that Chisora had lost.

So yes, the fight did feature its fair share of sloppy moments, with wrestling, fighters falling to the canvas, punches missing by a few feet, and enough shenanigans to remind viewers that boxing remains a quasi-legitimate sport.

But let's not lose the forest through the trees here. What we got on Sunday was two veterans who were giving it their all, firing whatever they could, and refusing to buckle after being hurt. It was great prizefighting. Both realized the importance of this moment in their career. They refused to yield and pushed forward. It wasn't about style points or looking pretty. They came to land big punches and did just that.

Finally, there was far too much snootiness from certain corners on social media regarding the quality of the fight. The bout was ridiculed by some as a drunken bar fight, a train wreck, a horror show...whatever.

Actually, it was anything but that. It was two guys giving what they had left. And they gave it. Yes, it was not a fight that personified the sweet science. But you know what it was: PRIZEFIGHTING! The fight delighted the crowd. It was exciting! There were big punches, peril, danger. And I'd take this a million times over two cuties refusing to hurt the other guy in the ring.

I love a great technical fight, but I love danger as well. Chisora-Wilder was not a mere hug-a-thon or a fight that featured a silent agreement of non-aggression. Both were going for the win. Both envisioned a future of making one last big run in the heavyweight division. I think that they should be applauded for their efforts. I'd tune out those who are more interested in ice capades in a ring instead of menace. There's a reason why the big boys have always carried the sport and power punchers have captured imaginations and hard-earned cash over generations.