Former world title challenger Derek Chisora has shared the ring with some of the all-time greats across the course of his lengthy career.
Chisora may make his final career appearance on February 8th, when he takes on Otto Wallin in Manchester, as the bout is labeled ‘The Last Dance’.
Although it may be the last time that boxing fans get to witness a fight by Chisora, he will live long in the memory for everything he has contributed to the sport.
From fighting some of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time to knocking down Joseph Parker in seven seconds, it has always been worthwhile tuning into a Chisora fight.
However, Chirosa’s best performance may have come in his last bout in July of 2024.
Chisora overcame the odds in heavyweight brawl
In July of 2024, Chisora would take on Joe Joyce in the 02 Arena in London, aged 40.
Following his loss to Tyson Fury, Chisora was able to earn a win over Gerald Washington in 2023 before moving on to Joyce.
As for Joyce, he would go into the fight with Chisora following a 10th-round knockout over Kash Ali, having been stopped twice by Zhilei Zhang in his two previous bouts.
Despite both fighters being in relatively similar form coming into the fight, Chisora would be a huge underdog ahead of the bout.
However, Chisora would spoil the party as he had one of the greatest performances of his career.
From the opening bell, both heavyweights began to throw big shots to set the tone for the slugfest.
Although Chisora would spend a lot of the fight on the back foot, he showed some excellent moments of defense against Joyce. Despite the output and volume being higher at times on the side of Joyce, Chisora often was the fighter who landed the more damaging shots.
As the fight progressed, Joyce began to have slightly more success in the later rounds. However, Chisora’s defense held up before a counter right hand would send Joyce to the canvas in round nine.
An intense final round would not have the result Joyce was looking for as he sought after the much-needed finish. Even in the 10th round, Chisora’s head movement and counters posed threats to his opponent, rounding off an amazing, hearty performance.
Chisora looking to build on Joyce performance versus Otto Wallin
After having one of the best performances of his career in 2024, Chisora will look to replicate his success against Wallin on February 8th, 2025.
In what might be potentially the last outing of his career, Chisora’s opponent goes into the bout with a 27-2 record. However, only the best have claimed victory over the Swedish fighter.
Despite almost defeating Fury with an outrageous cut, Wallin’s first career defeat came at the hands of the Gypsy King. As for his second loss, a fifth-round stoppage against Anthony Joshua in 2023 would be the last time Wallin tasted defeat.
However, Wallin is also going into the bout fresh off of a victory, as he earned a first-round knockout in July 2024 over Onoriode Ehwarieme.