Tyson Fury retained his WBC and lineal heavyweight championship with a one-sided beating of Derek Chisora in a mismatch that was finally stopped by the referee in Round 10 on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Chisora, who has now lost to Fury three times, never landed a punch of consequence but absorbed plenty of such shots from "The Gypsy King" in a bout that looked like it surely should have been stopped much sooner.
Chisora's trademark toughness was on display throughout in what amounted to a tuneup bout for Fury, who is in talks to meet Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship in springtime in Saudi Arabia.
Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) retired after a sixth-round TKO victory over Dillian Whyte in April. After four months, he decided to return and announced his fight against Chisora. Fury also defeated Chisora by unanimous decision in 2011 and by 10-round TKO in 2014.
Full fight recap by Coppinger here ...
Coppinger's Fury vs. Chisora 3 round-by-round analysis:
Round 10: Finally, the ref mercifully stops the one-sided matchup in Round 10 as Fury continued to unload on Chisora as the challenger stopped responding. Fury retains his WBC and lineal heavyweight championship and moves onto a probably undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk, who was ringside.
Round 9: Chisora is in bad shape now but the corner won't stop the fight. He's bleeding from the mouth and his right eye is completely swollen shut. Fury still won't step on gas but he's dealing out plenty of damage. 10-9, Fury. 90-81, Fury.
Round 8: Fury picks up the pace and lands flush with several combinations but Chisora showing his trademark toughness. Needs to be saved from himself sooner than later. 10-9, Fury. 80-72, Fury.
Round 7: Fury continues to pour on punishment with combinations but he isn't trying to finish Chisora yet. Possible he's trying to extend the fight to get the work in ahead of a potential undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk in the spring. 10-9, Fury. 70-63, Fury.
Round 6: Feels like Fury is allowing Chisora to hang around at this juncture as he appears to be going through the motions. Can end the fight anytime he wants. Chisora's legs looking shaky. 10-9, Fury. 60-54, Fury.
Round 5: Fury turned southpaw to end the round, another frame where his offensive arsenal was on display. Those right hands continue to land at will, and they're being set up by a beautiful double jab. 10-9, Fury. 50-45, Fury.
Round 4: Fury appeared to take the round off as he allowed Chisora to press forward and then tie him up. Chisora landed a couple of body shots but still wasn't effective. 10-9, Fury. 40-36, Fury.
Round 3: Chisora absorbing a tremendous amount of punishment as expected. Fury letting his hands go and creating the necessary space to land those shots with maximum power. This shouldn't last too much longer. 10-9, Fury. 30-27, Fury.
Round 2: Every time Chisora works his way inside, Fury makes him pay with short, crisp shots. A bevy of right hands met their mark, and Chisora appeared stunned several times. Fury pinned Chisora in the corner and inflicted more damage at the round came to an end. 10-9, Fury. 20-18, Fury.
Round 1: Fury lands at will with the right uppercut, the same punch he used to knock out Dillian Whyte in April. Dominant opening round for Fury. 10-9, Fury.
Other results:
Dubois survives three knockdowns to stop Lerena
Heavyweight Daniel Dubois entered the ring with another prove-it fight as he continues to build a case for a major headline bout for one of the big titles in the division. Standing in his way was a stiff test in Kevin Lerena.
Lerena (30, 29-1, 14 KOs), of South Africa, proved as much in the first round, three times sending Dubois (25, 18-1-0, 17 KOs), of London, to the canvas in quick succession as Dubois looked unsettled, laborious and downright second-best. Dubois emerged for the second round looking just as feeble, as Lerena packed power with a hard left, while some fans were screaming for Lerena to finish the job.
However, Dubois settled down in the third round, finally getting back on the front foot. First he delivered a punishing straight right that rocked Lerena's jaw and sent him to the floor. He survived the count, but his chances barely did as Dubois went on the attack. A flurry of punches followed, including a fierce left hook, then a clean uppercut to Lerena's jaw and another straight right. Referee Howard Foster jumped in as the bell sounded to stop the fight, although Lerena was not offered a count.
Dubois, 25, was once the division's most promising up-and-comer but he suffered a left orbital injury in a haunting defeat to Joe Joyce in 2020 that could have ended his career. He has been on a winning streak since then, though, putting together four straight stoppages as he looks for a shot at the division's biggest fighters.
Dubois, the WBA "regular" heavyweight champion, is the mandatory challenger to "super" champ Oleksandr Usyk, who is busy eying a unification bout with Tyson Fury next year. -- O'Halloran
Berinchyk outpoints Mendy for unanimous decision win
Yvan Mendy, fighting in his 54th career bout, may have been the veteran in this one, but it was undefeated Denys Berinchyk who was expected to use the fight as a showcase for his talent. Instead, it was closely contested.
A London 2012 silver medalist, Berinchyk, 34, isn't so young either, and his last fight was almost exactly 12 months ago. Since then, he has spent time in his native Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia. Berinchyk is famous for his ring walks -- from dressing as Superman to once jumping over mushrooms as Super Mario -- and Saturday he wore a full military uniform.
The fight was largely pedestrian, taking until the ninth round for Berinchyk (17-0, 9 KOs) to knock Mendy (47-6-1, 22 KOs) down. The bout went the distance with Berinchyk, the busier fighter, scoring a unanimous decision (117-112, 116-112, 116-112) to secure a victory upon his boxing return. -- O'Halloran
Itauma defeats Belujsky by eighth-round TKO
Karol Itauma's younger brother, Enriko, 18, may have gained more plaudits recently after becoming the world and European youth super heavyweight champion, but it was Karol fighting on his second Fury undercard on Saturday as he looked to stay undefeated and improve his standing. He did just that.
Itauma (22, 9-0) -- of Slovakia, but fighting out of Kent, England -- controlled much of the fight, constantly steering Vladimir Belujsky (27, 12-5-1), from Slovakia but fighting out of Mitchelstown, Ireland, to the edge of the ring as he looked comfortable delivering jab after jab. It was to nobody's surprise when Belujsky's defense finally gave way. Itauma broke through with a flurry of punches that downed Belujsky in the seventh round, before referee Lee Every jumped in during the last round signaling an Itauma victory. -- O'Halloran
Smith stops Perez in Round 1
Royston Barney Smith (18, 4-0, 2 KOs) was fighting in just his fourth pro bout, and he delivered in style as he eased to a straightforward TKO win in just over a minute.
The British fighter made quick work of Cruz Perez (3-4, 1 KO), of Nicaragua, staying at range and using with jabs before delivering a devastating left hand that ended the fight almost as quickly as it began.
That is Smith's second straight stoppage inside the first round as he again proves to have some serious punching power. -- O'Halloran