Derek Chisora survived a nasty looking cut to drop Otto Wallin twice and complete his dream ending on UK shores.
Chisora was taking to the ring for the 49th time as a professional fighter, with a bumper crowd backing him to beat Wallin in a heavyweight barnstormer at the Co-op Arena in Manchester.
TNT SportsChisora suffered a nasty cut at the midway point after a clash of heads[/caption]
The British fan favourite was roared on in the IBF eliminator, with fans hoping he can light up the squared circle in what promised to be his final fight on British soil.
It had been an emotional build-up for ‘WAR’ who was in floods of tears as he arrived in the arena, with the occasion notable for the 41-year-old veteran.
He was hoping for a fairytale goodbye to the sport to which he has given so much, headlining so many famous nights against Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Vitali Klitschko and many more.
Chisora was cut midway through the fight and had a doctor check the wound, but luckily he wasn’t stopped after the nasty clash of heads.
Incredibly he went on to drop the Swede in a sensational ninth round, and again in the final round on the bell to cap off a sensational and warrior-like display in Manchester.
Despite nailing his rival to the canvas twice, it went to the judges’ scorecards, where he was handed a 17-109, 114-112, 116-110 victory by unanimous decision.
It was the fairytale moment that Chisora had no doubt plotted in his head, and a captivating final home bow as one of the most popular British fighters in the modern era.
Now he could seek a final and 50th fight on foreign shores, which could be determined by the winner of Martin Bakole vs Efe Ajagba.
PAChisora dropped Wallin twice in his final fight in the United Kingdom[/caption]
“Otto Wallin was a good fighter, I thought he was going to gas out but he proved me wrong.
“When I arrived I was crying like a baby because I love the sport so much. It was an emotional day.
“It was a firefight, it was very hard. When I got the cut something happened, I wanted to carry on and both my ears popped.
“I think I’ll have a great legacy and be in the Hall Of Fame when I’m dead, not now.”
Things began in a scrappy opener with Chisora already taking to his wrecking bull front-foot approach as he immediately trundled forward.
Wallin was the fighter on the back foot early on looking to tame the aggression, with Chisora swinging some wild hooks to the head and body, fulfilling his promise to fans.
The Swede was keeping his cards close to his chest and relying on the counter punch as he was walked down at the same tempo in the second and third stanzas.
Both fighters stuck to their game plan in some scrappy exchanges that failed to spark the imagination, but Chisora was getting the edge with the Swedish southpaw looking lacklustre.
A cut opened up for the veteran by his right eye in the sixth, despite Wallin showing very little in the offensive department, but luckily he was cleared to continue by the doctor.
Blood poured from the wound which didn’t look great at all, but it seemed a moment of opportunity for the Swede despite the cut being caused by an accidental clash of heads.
But he piled on the pressure in the eighth with a frightening barrage after surviving the worst of the cut, with referee John Latham looking at Wallin.
Wallin was in a world of bother but luckily shots hit below the belt and the onslaught was halted briefly given the Swede some restbite.
He dropped Wallin with a huge right hand in the ninth which sent Wallin staggering backwards but he managed to beat the count.
It was a simply incredible display, but he was unable to get the job done and close the show with his opponent clinging on and surviving.
Chisora looked fatigued after the mighty artillery piled in and it looked to be trundling towards the judges scorecards with the Briton in the ascendency despite Wallin finishing with some narrowly better work.
Wallin was dropped again on the bell with another sensational shot to send the crowd into raptures again to complete his sensational win.
And the decision came on the scorecards and his incredible quest continued in his 49th and final UK bow.
