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LONDON – Zimbabwe-born British boxer Dereck Chisora remained on course for a rematch with heavyweight rival Tyson Fury after a dominant points win over American Kevin Johnson on Saturday night.Chisora and Fury each fulfilled his part of their world heavyweight elimination gamble – but in utterly contrasting fights.
After Fury had see-sawed his way between calamity and a fourth round KO victory in his typical madcap fashion, Chisora slugged his way to a unanimous decision against one of the great survivors of the American ring.
Fury’s stoppage of Joey Abell involved plenty of knock-downs and a few alarms. Chisora floored Johnson heavily in the fifth round and looked to be on the verge of stopping the American for the first time, but he survived the storm and forced the Londoner to dig deep in the later rounds.
Early jabs from Johnson were shrugged off by a fired-up Chisora in the first round and he soon landed his trademark right hook.
Johnson had earned a reputation as an obstinate opponent, but Chisora put it to the test, ramming home more right hands in the second as he continued his savage early assault.
Even the tough Atlanta man was feeling the effects of Chisora’s clubbing punches and his tight defences nearly unravelled in the fourth as he soaked up punishment on the ropes.
Chisora sensed Johnson was wavering and made a breakthrough in the fifth, flooring his foe with a big right hand. Johnson clambered to his feet and groggily held Chisora at bay as the British fighter followed up with more vicious punches.
Chisora’s chances of a stoppage slipped away as Johnson went into a defensive shell and offered little in reply when “Del Boy” pounded away at his head and body.
With the fight slipping away, Johnson finally staged a late stand, unloading some crisp combinations on the tiring Chisora.
But his rally had come too late and Chisora dug deep in the closing rounds, landing more hurtful hooks to wrap up a unanimous points win.
Chisora’s efforts were acknowledged by the judges who gave him the win with scores of 118-109, 118-110 and 118-109.
He can now look ahead to a summer showdown with Fury, who defeated him on points back in 2011.
“Yeah I give credit to Johnson he came to survive,” said Chisora. “I said this was going to be a long night, it was going to be 12 rounds.
“In the summer me and Tyson will get it on.”
Chisora’s pounding of a more experienced challenger could not produce the knock out he had promised. But at least he had the satisfaction of putting Johnson down for what the American claims is the first time in his career.
“Only my big Momma has put me on the floor in my life,” Johnson had said before Saturday night in the Copper Box at the London Olympic Park.
Well, now London’s Del Boy is his daddy. Chisora won by such a landslide that he could only give Johnson the last round. But he could not finish a veteran survivor.
Johnson’s limited ambition – not so much to win as to last the full 12 rounds of this WBA and WBO Intercontinental title bout – had much to do with that.
But at least he is now re-dedicated and a fully fit heavyweight specimen. Chisora and his American opponent both entered the ring in solid shape; Johnson was just two pounds heavier than the 17st Londoner but the question was whether he had come fit to fight or, as heavyweight who had never before been stopped, fit to last the distance. Johnson found the range with his jab but Chisora was the busier and more effective at close quarters in the first round.
And although “Del Boy” began the second with a succession of big right crosses, the American affected the Mayweather defence of raising his left shoulder to neutralise the attacks. Nevertheless Chisora was the more pro-active and comfortably won the round.
Chisora resumed on the offensive but Johnson was using all his experience to block or ride the punches and was tying the Brit up at close quarters although the WBO and WBA Intercontinental champion was by far the busier.
Chisora stepped up the pressure with two solid right hooks, followed by a left cross in the fourth session and that set him up for an onslaught. But Johnson was able to escape from the corner, while complaining to referee Terry O’Connor about being hit on the back of the head.
Chisora was warned for such a shot in the fifth but there was nothing wrong with the perfect right which put Johnson down. The American rose quite quickly but glanced at O’Connor in some alarm.
Chisora took a breather for spells of the sixth but still produced enough flurries to extend his lead yet further. Oddly, although he was on the receiving end, Johnson had yet to sit on his stool between rounds.
Del Boy was swarming all over Johnson but he did get caught by one sharp counter. The tide, however, was as heavily one direction as the storms hitting England from the Atlantic and Johnson’s only hope was that his tormentor might tire.
Johnson protested again about being hit behind the head but the referee was giving him licence to go for the metaphoric kill. The pattern was unrelentingly in Chisora’s favour and the American had still not won a round on my card.
Chisora dropped his guard when caught with a body shot and O’Connor ordered him to stay in boxing mode. But the reborn “Del Boy” proved strong enough to go past the mid-fight fatigue which had contributed to him being knocked out by David Haye.
Chisora marched on but to a slowing beat. So although Johnson was still shipping punishment, it was looking as if he would achieve his limited ambition of reaching the final bell.
Chisora was still finding the energy to rough up Johnson but the steam was going out of the assault. The American looked apprehensive after one right but was still in no mood to call it a night – and still not ready to sit down at the end of another losing round.
The adversaries grinned at each before the start of the last round but, curiously, Johnson began the final three minutes by taking the initiative. Chisora was flagging at the finish and for the only time Johnson battered him on the ropes. Finally, the American visitor took home a round.
Fury, meanwhile, looked understandably over-heavy and ring rusty after being kept out of the ring for almost a year by Haye twice pulling out of their Battle of Britain.
Although he decked Abell four times, five if you count one low blow, he was rocked himself by a couple of heavy imported left hooks before the referee decided enough was enough 36 second into the fourth.
Fury and Chisora would be back in this iconic venue in April, for another warm-up fight apiece, en route to their midsummer collision from which the winner hopes to become a mandatory challenger to multiple world champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Whatever their shortcomings at world level, Fury the entertainer and Chisora the slugger should make for an exciting contrast of styles. – Mailonline-Sky Sports
Online Reporter