Chisora beats Joyce: Guts, glory, and hoping for the best

Grace or smooth moves didn’t matter last Saturday night.

Technique was a nasty word. Sweet Science? No, only guts and passion.

Derek Chisora and Joe Joyce are warriors. They represent the good and the bad of boxing.

The good: courage. The bad: terrible punishment.

Chisora was fighting for the ninth time at the O2.

Boxing fans love Chisora now, though it wasn’t always that way.

In 2012, he spat in champion Wladimir Klitschko’s face. Several months later, he got physical with David Haye at a post-fight press conference. His actions led to the loss of his boxing license.

Joe Joyce (England) vs Derek Chisora (England) | Boxing Fight Highlights HD

A year later, he returned to the ring.

He won five fights in succession until he ran into Tyson Fury in 2016. The boos had ceased. Chisora was fearless and relentless.

“London, I love you,” said Chisora after his brutal 10-rounder with Joyce. “I’m just happy I’ve got loads of fans in London.”

The crowd serenaded him in response. They had chanted his name throughout his war with Joyce.

A few years ago, Joyce looked like the indestructible man. He was undefeated in 15 fights. His defense was porous, but it didn’t matter as he stream-rolled the heavyweight division. His deep chin was the key. Blows bounced off his jaw. He didn’t buckle or blink. He kept coming. When he stopped contender Joseph Parker, a title shot was inevitable.

All he had to do was get past slower-then slow, Zhilei Zhang.

The chin met its match – Joyce lost. The rematch was worse. Joyce came in lighter – hoping he could move away from some punches. But that’s not his game. Zhang knocked him out. His chin could only hold out for so long.

An uninspiring performance against Kash Ali had many telling Joyce he should retire. Joyce disagreed. He said his goal was still a world title. Defeat Chisora and fight a top contender.

Chisora threw punches in bunches in the early rounds. They weren’t swift or classy, but they were clubbing. Joyce took them without expression. He followed Chisora and punched often.

By round five, Joyce’s heavy-handed blows were landing. Chisora ate them, stumbled, and fired back. He was tired – his right eye a slit. He looked on the verge, sometimes stumbling and appearing close to going down, but his right hand, his Susie-q, was landing.

In round nine, nearing exhaustion, using the ropes to keep his balance, Chisora let fly with another long right. It connected – sending Joyce to the canvas.

The knockdown sealed the fight for Chisora. He moved away in the 10th round to buy time, building up the energy to fire a few more thunderous right hands.

After hearing the decision in his favor, Chisora, looking more like the loser, saluted the crowd as Sinatra’s “My Way” echoed throughout the arena.

Joyce said, “Yeah, he’s a tough, tough man, and if only I put on a bit more pressure and landed the right shots, you know, it was just very close. “I’m very disappointed, but I felt like it was a good fight. I enjoyed it, actually.”

Chisora,40, had hinted at retirement before the fight.

“It’s not my last fight. I’ve got two more,” he said.

Ok, Derek. Your heart is bigger than your body. Same with you Joe Joyce. We rejoice in them but worry about what their future holds.