Classic Boxing Bouts: Derek Chisora vs Dillian Whyte I

For years, the Heavyweight division in British boxing had been treated as a bit of a joke. Top Heavyweights from the UK had generally been few and far between, but in the 2010s, this took a turn.

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury emerged as real superstars, while others, such as Derek Chisora and Dillian Whyte, provided quality depth to the scene.

2015 was a landmark year in British heavyweight boxing. Not only did we see the coronation of Fury as he dethroned long-time champion Wladimir Klitschko, Joshua and Whyte also had a highly entertaining scrap in which AJ emerged victorious. Just a few months later, Joshua would also be crowned with a world title.

This takes us to 2016. Whyte was looking to pick up the pieces, having been brutally knocked out by Joshua. After out-pointing Dave Allen, ‘the Body Snatcher’ then forced Ian Lewisham to quit on his stool in a pair of impressive showings.

As one of Lewisham’s stablemates, Chisora was out for revenge. Whyte, however, had held a grudge against Chisora for several years prior.

The build up to their fight was as bad-tempered as one could ever imagine. A venomous war of words in their ‘Gloves are Off’ meeting swiftly descended into a brawl – Chisora did not take kindly to suggestions that he was looking for ‘one last payday’ as Whyte put it.

The official press conference was even more volatile. Whyte suggested that they should fight ‘on the road’ after the bout was done, leading to another outburst from ‘Del Boy’. The Zimbabwean launched his table at a nonplussed Whyte, who simply admired his handiwork, confident that he’d gotten into Chisora’s head.

These antics certainly generated buzz, but they came at a cost. The BBBoC withdrew their sanctioning for the fight, meaning the British title would no longer be up for grabs. Thankfully, the bout still went ahead.

What followed was one of the greatest fights in the history of British Heavyweight boxing. Both men gave absolutely no quarter – let’s delve into a round-by-round analysis of this thrilling affair.

Round 1

The fight began with Chisora attempting to close the distance, while Whyte was boxing well, using his jab and movement effectively. Del Boy came flying out of the traps, but Whyte was ready for him.

Both fighters came very, very close to connecting with massive counter-punches early on. From the outset, it was clear that both men wanted to make a real mark on their opponent.

A difficult round to score, like many of them were. Whyte nicked it for us based on the higher volume of punches landed, but Chisora deserves credit for staying on the front foot and forcing him back.

Whyte 10-9 Chisora

Round 2

Again, Chisora looked to press the action, which Whyte was prepared for and more than happy to let him do. Whyte’s jab is underrated, the way he paws it into his opponents’ faces like a disgruntled grizzly bear must be incredibly debilitating.

Nevertheless, Chisora looked to target the body more in this one and had more success as a result. He did better in this one, for us, it was a swing round that could’ve gone either way.

We just gave it to Whyte, though. Chisora landed a lovely left hook late on that Whyte definitely felt, but Del Boy was having to take two to give one at this stage of the fight.

Whyte 20-18 Chisora

Round 3

Both men engaged in a phone booth brawl early on, refusing to back down from each other. Hugely, hugely entertaining, the sort of thing Heavyweight boxing fans dream about.

Whyte landed some nice body punches, his trademark, while Chisora started finally opting to use his short, sharp jab to open the Body Snatcher up a bit.

This worked well, as Chisora was then allowed to catch Whyte with a nice left hook that caught him clean. The first Chisora round on our card.

Whyte 29-28 Chisora

Round 4

Chisora began applying a Joe Frazier-esque cross guard at the start of this round. He wouldn’t use it for long, but it was interesting to see.

Whyte had previously coped well with Chisora’s front-foot tactics, but was now being consistently backed up onto the ropes. Still, he was fighting well on the back foot, landing counter-punches while Chisora plodded forward.

Chisora’s strong start was effectively cancelled out by Whyte towards the end of the round, who outlanded him to end the session on a high.

Whyte 39-37 Chisora

Round 5

Chisora once again started by using the left hook to great effect. He landed one early on, then another in the mid-stages which had a noticeable effect on Whyte.

Whyte recovered quickly, but Chisora landed a nasty left hook-overhand right combination that saw his legs wobble a bit. Chisora pressed the action, but Whyte was able to weather the storm and make a comeback.

With his bottom lip now split, Whyte ended the round by backing Del Boy up and landing strong punches of his own, but this was a clear Chisora round.

Whyte 48-47 Chisora

Round 6

Probably the clearest round thus far. Whyte landed a powerful left hook in the opening stages of the round, forcing Chisora to back up and gather his senses.

Whyte would then land a pair of monstrous right hands with Chisora on the ropes. Del Boy’s excellent poker face indicated that he was fine, but he definitely felt them. Any man in the world would’ve.

To his credit, Chisora fired back with a left hook, but Whyte was alert enough to move his feet at the right time to take the sting out of it. Chisora was now looking very tired. A Whyte round through-and-through.

Whyte 58-56 Chisora