Derek Chisora’s Miraculous 12-Round Victory Over Otto Wallin
Derek Chisora beat Otto Wallin by unanimous decision on February 8, 2025, at Co-op Live in Manchester, as BBC Sport reported. The 12-round heavyweight bout was an IBF title eliminator and was billed as Chisora’s final fight in the United Kingdom. Chisora, 41, fought through cuts around both eyes, scored two knockdowns and secured a hard-earned win over the Swedish southpaw. The published result moved him to 36–13, with 23 knockouts, while Wallin fell to 27–3.
Chisora’s pressure and two late knockdowns
Chisora started aggressively, stepping inside Wallin’s longer southpaw attacks and working to the body. Wallin tried to establish distance with his jab and left hand, but Chisora kept pressing and made the fight physical. The veteran’s face was badly marked by the later rounds, yet he maintained his forward pace and kept throwing in combinations.
The first official knockdown came in round nine, when Chisora’s pressure put Wallin on the canvas. Wallin recovered and continued to fight, keeping the result in play on the cards. Then, with the final round nearly over, Chisora landed again and dropped Wallin for a second time. Wallin beat the count and survived to the bell, so the result went to the judges rather than ending by stoppage.
The Ring reported the judges’ scores as 117–109, 116–110 and 114–112 for Chisora. Their cards reflected the knockdowns and a series of competitive rounds, especially as Wallin landed clean left hands while Chisora sought to close distance. Chisora’s late surge made the difference in a fight that had demanded resilience from both heavyweights. It was a unanimous decision, not a knockout, and the two knockdowns were scored in rounds nine and twelve.
A win before the final chapter
The Manchester bout was described at the time as Chisora’s last appearance on UK soil, but it was not the final fight of his career. He returned to London on April 4, 2026, to face Deontay Wilder at the O2 Arena. Sky Sports reported that Wilder won their 12-round contest by split decision, with scorecards of 115–111, 115–113 and 112–115. Chisora had said beforehand that the bout would be his last, though he stopped short of confirming retirement immediately after the fight.
The Wallin victory therefore sits as a major late-career win rather than a retirement sendoff. It gave Chisora a strong result in an IBF eliminator, preserved his place among the heavyweight contenders and delivered the kind of sustained, crowd-pleasing action that defined his career. Wallin, who had previously gone the distance with Tyson Fury, remained dangerous throughout, but Chisora’s pressure and two knockdowns carried the cards.
For Wallin, the loss was a setback after a competitive showing against one of the division’s most experienced pressure fighters. For Chisora, the win added a final home-country success before his later London bout with Wilder. The exact venue, eliminator status, scorecards and knockdowns give the result its proper context: a hard-fought 12-round decision that set up one more major fight in Chisora’s long heavyweight career.
Sources: The Ring fight report and scorecards; BBC Sport on the Manchester fight; Sky Sports on Chisora–Wilder; DAZN Boxing fight highlights.
Sources
Tags: Boxing, Combat Sports
