Dereck Chisora stuns Carlos Takam with brutal eighth round knockout
Brit had the crowd on their feet to win the fight of his career and put himself back among the greats
DERECK CHISORA says he faked a shoulder injury before his stunning KO victory over Carlos Takam.
The Brit reminded the world of his huge heart and thunderous hands by dishing Takam a beating Anthony Joshua could only dream about.
The French 37-year-old gave AJ a scare when they clashed in October, before AJ stopped him in round ten.
But Delboy blew the veteran out at the start of round eight after a sickening game of punishment.
After the fight, promoter Eddie Hearn said: "I tell you what, two weeks ago Dereck did his shoulder..."
Chisora quickly grabbed the mic and replied: "I lied, I just wanted more money!" to the disbelief of Hearn.
The two hulks clinched and rutted in the opening seconds, with Takam doing the cleaner boxing work while Delboy seemed happy to tuck-up and absorb on the ropes.
The Frenchman pinned the Finchley ace into the corner for the majority of the opener and fired off at his freshly shaved head.
If Chisora was recreating Muhammad Ali’s famous rope-a-dope tactic, it worked a treat as he managed to land some heavy shots of his own when it seemed Takam had punched himself out of gas.
The roar at the end of the opener was huge as Chisora showed signs of the old warrior British fight fans grew to love.
The O2 fans looking for fancy footwork and masterful defence took a slow stroll to the bar as this brutal date played out.
Those with a thirst for blind courage and warfare were glued to their seats.
Takam’s left hook posed Chisora plenty of problems in the third, but neither giant has the power to match their phenomenal durability.
Chisora has gone the distance in defeats to Vitali Klitschko, Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte and has mastered the art of survival.
His thousands of fans - including Tony Bellew ringside - begged him to spend less times on the ropes but he ended the fourth under pressure again but he stood up throughout the interval proving his fitness was not wanting.
Sweeping and looping fifth-round hooks would have chopped down trees but these two generously traded and returned for more.
Eddie Hearn leapt to his feet to tell Chisora “You’ve got it, you’ve got him” but the bell rang to end the session with both men upright.
The 32-year-old Zimbabwe-born Londoner poked out a few unfamiliar jabs in the sixth but all his was rewarded with was a straight right on the chin that rocked him back into the ropes.
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Even after taking a handful of vicious digs in his corner, Delboy showboated by resting his arms ride across the ropes and waving a red flag at the bullish visitor who steamed in for another tear-up that spilled over the bell.
Round seven looked like the end of Chisora so many times but he somehow stayed on his feet, despite every law of physics and biology counting against him.
And Takam walked back to his corner at the bell with an arm raised, safe in the knowledge he was pulling away on any sane scorecard and Delboy was entering Hail Mary territory.
And as soon as the eight round started his prayers were answered.
A right hand pulled from the ether knocked Takam to the floor and his brave resurrection just teed him up for another ferocious decking.
Howard Foster waved it off without a second count.
Delboy mounted the robes, stuck his tongue out to the crowd and seemed to ask ‘what were you worried about?’