Chisora wins brutal slugfest to become national treasure

There was a party in Manchester on Saturday night to celebrate the last fight on British soil of Derek "Del Boy" Chisora and more than 12,000 fans serenaded the old warrior.

- STEVE BUNCE

An hour or two earlier, in a corridor at the new Co-op Live Arena, Chisora had broken down in tears when he realised that more than 50 pictures of his 48 fights had been framed and hung. He was overwhelmed walking down his own personal hall of fame.

He was facing Otto Wallin – who had caused Tyson Fury all sorts of problems back in 2019 – in what was the Briton’s 49th fight and the towering Swedish boxer played his role as the villain perfectly; he predicted a shock, a bad end to the Chisora fantasy and a knockout defeat, but in the ring he came without a plan and even less desire.

The crowd roared Del Boy on from the moment he appeared on the stage, his face obscured by a Union flag bandana and his intentions clear as he howled his way to the ring. It was, at that point, pure pantomime. Chisora is now a national treasure, which is one of the oddest twists in sport; the same Chisora has been banned, fined, ignored, knocked out, brutally exposed, but now, in his 19th year as a pro and his 49th fight, he is suddenly adored.