It was a battle without stakes. No belts, no titles, no immediate pathway to a world championship for the winner.
But it was a struggle for everything: honour, courage, pride, and the essence of masculinity. It represented the ability to endure unimaginable pain and the pursuit of personal glory.
A fight meant not only for the moment, but for generations to come.
The essence of a legendary boxing match doesn’t rely exclusively on the matchup of two elite fighters. It requires two heroes to offer far more than we, as spectators, can justifiably demand. Enter Derek Chisora and Joe Joyce.
‘Could this be the Fight of the Year?’ one overly optimistic reporter inquired of the promoter late Saturday night.
Wrong question. Although it was almost suitably close if one considers the promoter of boxing’s Fight of the Century. ‘I’ve never witnessed anything like it,’ Frank Warren remarked.
Derek Chisora (right) triumphed over Joe Joyce via unanimous decision on Saturday evening
In fact, we have. But it has been nearly half a century. Not since the dawn broke over the Philippines on October 1, 1975, as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier reached the visceral peak of their legendary trilogy.
Not since that unforgettable morning when Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, prevented him from entering the 15th and final round—a decision Frazier could never forgive, despite the fact that the swellings around his eyes left him nearly blind yet still insisting, ‘I could have found him with my fists.’
Not since The Greatest was almost compelled to step down from his heavyweight throne when his trainer, Angelo Dundee, delayed his request to cut off the gloves just long enough for Futch to intervene before the retirement. Ali later claimed, ‘This is the closest I’ve ever come to dying.’
Not since that historic Thrilla in Manila.
Chisora and Joyce may not claim such greatness, yet their contest at the O2 Arena earned them a place in the annals of boxing history.
Joyce put up an admirable fight but came up just short in the thrilling contest at the O2 Arena
From the very first moment to the final bell, they exchanged an astonishing number of sledgehammer punches, far exceeding the noise of a weekend’s worth of road construction across London. It was nothing short of miraculous that both fighters remained on their feet throughout the scheduled ten rounds.
Their heavyweight heads collided like rocks, and sweat dripped in torrents across the canvas. Their bodies groaned under the relentless barrage of thunderous strikes landing on their formidable frames.
Del Boy—now known as War—delivered more blows and secured the decision as a result. Notably, Juggernaut Joe never attempted to shield himself from the incoming punches, both embodying the essence of warrior spirit.
For those who witnessed it, their fierce clash will remain etched in memory. For them, however, only time will tell how quickly they might forget. Future brain scans are unlikely to paint a pretty picture. Regardless, they are set to continue putting themselves—and others—through this punishing ordeal.
Chisora, now 40, had indicated his intention to retire after this ‘farewell fight.’ Joyce, at 38, has warned us for two years that he knows he is absorbing more punishment than is beneficial for any human being’s well-being.
Chisora scored a knockdown on his opponent during the ninth round of the competition
Now Chisora has set his sights on fighting until his 50th birthday, with plans to resume in Manchester this December and then in his birthplace, Zimbabwe, next year. The crowd cheered in approval. Joyce then asked the audience, ‘Do you want to see more of me?’ Again, the cheers erupted.
Such is the intoxicating allure of true fighters—the bright lights, the drama, the blood-stained canvas, the adrenaline, the thrill, and the roar of the fans.
Should they be protected from their own instincts? This is a question we must ponder as we navigate the shadows on our way home.
However, in the heat of the moment, we stood to applaud them. Oleksandr Usyk was among the spectators—a unified and undefeated world heavyweight champion who had taken a brief break from advising Ukraine’s Olympic boxing team to support Chisora, who has been his friend since their bout introduced Usyk to the heavyweight division.
Usyk remarked, ‘Derek is the one who needs to reflect on his future.’ For better or worse, he might add, because no one understands better than he that nothing quite matches the primal spectacle witnessed along the Thames during this fierce contest.
