Derek Chisora’s bid for the WBC heavyweight title ended in brave defeat as he lost to defending champion Vitali Klitschko in Munich, on this day in 2012.
Chisora, then 28, turned in a spirited display at the Olympiahalle, taking big favourite Klitschko the distance, but a compelling fight was overshadowed by controversy before and after a unanimous points decision.
Londoner Chisora slapped Klitschko during the weigh-in, while another row erupted before the bout over the Briton’s hand wraps.
It got even uglier during the post-fight press conference when Chisora came to blows with British rival David Haye, sparking a mass melee involving both camps and leaving the latter’s trainer, Adam Booth, with cuts to his face.
Before the Klitschko-Chisora bout started, the Ukrainian’s camp insisted the Briton’s wraps be removed and reapplied, causing the fight to be delayed by 20 minutes.
Chisora was roundly booed by Klitschko’s German fans when he finally appeared, but gamely tried to take the fight to his opponent, who held a six-inch advantage in both height and reach.
The Englishman ploughed forward despite taking plenty of punishment in the opening five rounds before Klitschko, 40, began to tire.
A booming overhand right from Klitschko buckled Chisora in the seventh and by the end of the ninth, the champion landed blows at will, but the challenger dug deep and could hold his head high at the final bell.
Klitschko, who took his fight record to 44 wins, two defeats and 40 knockouts, said afterwards: “I have respect for Chisora as a fighter, but I don’t have respect for him as a human.
“He showed a bad example for all boxing, for all fighters. He came from Great Britain, but he’s not a gentleman.”
