Vitali Klitschko vs. Dereck Chisora
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| Date | 18 February 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBC heavyweight title | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Klitschko wins via 12–round unanimous decision (118–110, 118–110, 119–111) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vitali Klitschko vs Derek Chisora, billed as Showdown in Munich, was a professional boxing match that was contested between WBC heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitschko, and the WBC's number 15 ranked contender, Derek Chisora. The bout took place on 18 February 2012 at the Olympiahalle, with Klitschko winning by unanimous decision.
Background
Sources in Germany reported that Kltschko and Chisora were likely to fight on 18 February 2012 at the Olympiahalle in Munich.[1][2] This was later confirmed on 12 December 2011 that Chisora would be Klitschko's next opponent.
Chisora was heavily criticised for his behaviour at the weigh-in after slapping Klitschko across the face when the two went head-to-head during the staredown.[3] More controversy ensued moments before the fight when he spat water in the face of Wladimir whilst in the ring before the pre-fight introductions.[4]
The fight
Klitschko boxed a disciplined fight with changing angles and superior footwork, and was able to keep the aggressive and offensive Chisora at range for the majority of the rounds. Despite bobbing and weaving, and constant pressure applied by Chisora, Klitschko was able to use his height and reach advantage to land clean straight right hands and power shots from a distance to outland Chisora, and control the pace as the bout progressed. At times, Chisora was able to deliver some punishment of his own, with most of his work coming with body shots and hooks to Klitschko's head, forcing Klitschko onto the back foot, and his best rounds being the eighth and twelfth round.[5]
All three judges unanimously scored the fight in favour of Klitschko, with scores of 118-110, 118-110 and 119-111. Despite being a decisive victory for Klitschko, Chisora earned credit for his chin and heart, and also for giving Klitschko his most competitive fight since his defeat to Lennox Lewis in 2003. Chisora also became only the fourth man (after Tino Hoffmann, Kevin Johnson and Shannon Briggs), to take Klitschko the twelve round distance.
Aftermath
In the post-fight press conference, a brawl ensued between Chisora and former heavyweight champion David Haye. After the altercation, Chisora challenged Haye to a fight in the ring, which subsequently paved the way for the pair's own grudge match later in the year.[6]
Fight card
| Weight Class | vs. | Method | Round | Time | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | Vitali Klitschko (c) | def. | Dereck Chisora | UD | 12/12 | Note 1 | |
| Heavyweight | Johnathon Banks (c) | def. | Nicolai Firtha | UD | 12/12 | Note 2 | |
| Super-featherweight | Stephen Smith | def. | Arpad Vass | KO | 1/8 | 2:41 | |
| Welterweight | Serhii Fedchenko | def. | Laszlo Fazekas | UD | 8/8 | ||
| Light-middleweight | Timo Schwarzkopf | def. | Andre Deobald | UD | 6/6 |
^Note 1 For WBC heavyweight title
^Note 2 For WBC-NABF heavyweight title
Broadcasting
| Country | Broadcasters | |
|---|---|---|
| Free-to-air | Cable/Pay TV | |
| Germany (host) | RTL | — |
| Ukraine | Inter | — |
| United Kingdom | — | BoxNation |
| United States | — | Epix |
References
- ^ Klitschko vs Chisora on February 18, Then Haye in June, Boxingscene.com, 13 December 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ Vitali Klitschko to defend WBC title against Dereck Chisora – ESPN Archived 9 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine. ESPN.go.com (12 December 2011). Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ Christ, Scott (2012-02-17). "Klitschko vs Chisora Weigh-In: Chisora Slaps Klitschko, Fined $50,000 (Video)". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
- ^ Christ, Scott (2012-02-19). "Klitschko vs Chisora: Dereck Chisora Spits in the Face of Wladimir Klitschko (Video)". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
- ^ Munich, Ben Dirs BBC Sport in. "Vitali Klitschko taken the distance by Dereck Chisora in Munich". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
- ^ "On This Day: The story of the bottle, the brawl, and David Haye and Dereck Chisora settling their differences in the ring - Boxing News". 2016-07-14. Retrieved 2016-08-10.