Tyson Fury stops Chisora to retain WBC heavyweight title
Tyson Fury retained his WBC world heavyweight title, brutally stopping Derek Chisora to set up a potential undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury, 34, maintained his unbeaten record in front of 59,769 people at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Fellow Briton Chisora, 38, was hurt repeatedly by the dominant champion and the referee waved off the one-sided contest in the 10th round.
Usyk, holder of the IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA belts, was ringside in London.
For Chisora, it was the 13th loss of his 46-fight career and his fourth in the last five.
Earlier this week, the pair shook hands and promised to stand toe-to-toe in the opening three minutes with Chisora promising “the best first round the heavyweight game has ever seen”.
And, in front of an incredible atmosphere – despite the cold conditions at an outdoor December night event in London – the two fighters tried to provide the entertainment they had promised.
But the fight did prove a mismatch as Fury was a level above his opponent and can now look forward to a potential undisputed heavyweight showdown with Ukrainian Usyk in 2023.
Fury, back in action after saying he would retire from boxing in April, has targeted at least three fights in 2023. In chaotic scenes afterwards, he challenged two rivals – Usyk and unbeaten Briton Joe Joyce – at the same time.
Asked about taking on 35-year-old Usyk, Fury responded: “Where’s the rabbit?”
As Usyk confronted him at the ropes, Fury added: “Usyk, you’re next, 15 stone little body building midget. I’ve done one Ukrainian, [Wladimir] Klitchsko, let’s get it on.”
As Joyce then showed up, Fury said: “I’m saying Joe Joyce, a brilliant fighter, he deserves a title fight. If the rabbit [Usyk] doesn’t fight, we’ll fight at Wembley.”
However, there could yet be an obstacle as Fury, in a later interview with ESPN, said he had problems with his hand and may need surgery on his right elbow “which will take about 6-8 weeks to heal
