By: Sean Crose

Make no mistake about it – Derek Chisora is a game and honorable fighter. But even longtime experienced pros like Chisora can only take so much punishment. And punishment is what the Englishman received on Saturday in London. Taking on WBC and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury for the third time, Chisora took a real a beating from his friend and competitor. While Chisora continued to fight on, there was a point in the match where the man didn’t have a chance. The referee wisely stopped the fight in the 10th. No one in their right mind would argue the official didn’t make the right call.

“Firstly I’d like to say thank You to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Fury said in the post fight interview before crediting the crowd of 60,000 people who had showed up to watch “The Gyspy King” in action. “I felt good. I needed some rounds,” Fury went on to say before crediting his opponent. “He’s an absolute warrior,” he said of Chisora, “and it’s been a privilege to fight him three times. He’s an absolute British folk hero.” Fury proceeded to lead the crowd in a chant in praise of Chisora, who himself went on to admit he was a beaten man. “Thanks to the ref,” he said. “As a fighter you don’t want to stop.”

Not ready to leave the ring yet, Fury called IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk forward. He then proceeded to lambaste the man with vulgarities in order to hype an undisputed championship battle between himself and the Ukrainian master. Joe Joyce, himself a red hot heavyweight, stepped up and offered to fight himself. Fury said he’d happily make it happen if Usyk didn’t want any action. Usyk, it must be noted, appeared completely unphased.

Fury went on to say that he may indeed need surgery before he fights again, so a battle for the undisputed championship may be some ways down the road, though it’s been targeted to occur in the first part of next year. The name of old foe Deontay Wilder also came up, with Fury being receptive to the idea of battling the hard hitting American for a fourth time. “The man’s going to be hard to beat anytime soon.” retired great Andre Ward said of Fury from the ESPN+ broadcast team. He was right, of course, for it appears Fury may be the person to define this era of heavyweight boxing.

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