5:35 p.m. ET
Mike Coppinger ESPN
Tyson Fury retained his WBC and lineal heavyweight championships with a one-sided smash against Derek Chisora which was finally stopped by the referee at 2:51 a.m. in Round 10 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday.
Chisora, who has now lost to Fury three times, never landed a momentous punch, instead absorbing many such shots from “The Gypsy King” in a fight that looked like it should have been stopped much sooner.
Chisora’s signature toughness was evident throughout in a tune-up fight for Fury, who is in talks to meet Oleksandr Usyk for the spring’s undisputed heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia.
The unified heavyweight champion from Ukraine was at ringside and immediately jumped onto the ring apron after Fury called him out. “You’re next, you little B—-,” said Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) as he faced Usyk.
Fury then mocked Usyk’s two wins over Anthony Joshua, whom he described as a mere “bodybuilder”.
“Well, I’m not a bodybuilder, you jerk,” he said. “You ugly little man.
Fury referenced Usyk’s two wins over Joshua to both win three heavyweight titles and then retain them in August. The 35-year-old former undisputed cruiserweight champion smiled without saying a word as he took in Fury’s trademark theatrics.
And this matchup, one of the best you can make in boxing, is expected to be next. But Fury said he will likely need surgery on his right elbow first, which will sideline him for six to eight weeks. He previously had left elbow surgery to remove bone spurs after Deontay KO’d Wilder in the 11th round in a trilogy fight last October.
Fury also said he sustained a right hand injury on Saturday. “We’ll see when I’m ready for this fight [with Usyk]. We’ll see when it can be done.”
The 34-year-old, ESPN’s No. 6 pound-for-pound boxer, claimed he retired after a TKO win over Dillian Whyte in April, but it took a full four months. Fury picked up where he left off on Saturday with another brutal smash against a recognizable heavyweight from England.
The Englishman’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 mangling in the clinch, where he forced Chisora’s wobbly legs all over 268lbs from Fury wear.
As the temperature dropped to the low 40s in the outdoor stadium with almost 60,000 fans, Fury appeared to be playing with Chisora and probably could have ended the fight much earlier if he had tried. Fury later admitted he “took a few rounds” and “landed shots that would blow anyone’s mind”.
“There was no way he could stop himself, the referee had to pull him out or he would be KO’d,” Fury said.
In fact, Chisora (33-13, 23 KOs) had to be saved from herself. By the time the fight ended as he stopped throwing punches while Fury dished out the punishment, the 38-year-old’s right eye was swollen shut and blood was pouring from his mouth.
Fury connected with 205 shots, more than double his opponent. In 7 rounds out of 10, Fury landed 50% more of his power shots.
“Thanks to the referee you want to go out on your shield as a warrior,” said Chisora, who has now lost four of his last five fights, including a decision loss to Usyk in 2020. The Zimbabwe native was coming off a split-decision victory over goalkeeper Kubrat Pulev in July.
Fury scored a unanimous win over Chisora in 2011 before stopping him in Round 7 of the 2014 rematch. “We would like to see him and Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia,” Chisora said.
He could be close to retirement but Fury still has plenty of marquee fights ahead of him. If a deal can’t be struck to face Usyk, Fury said he would turn to Joe Joyce, the heavyweight contender who was also ringside.
“I think Joe Joyce is the tougher man, Usyk has the better skills,” Fury said. “… Usyk is a master boxer. … All these big fights have waited so long, but they can’t run away anymore. They can run, but they can’t hide!”