Introduction to the Feud

The rivalry between David Haye and Derek Chisora wasn’t built in the ring. It started with a scandalous press conference brawl, sparking one of the most personal feuds in heavyweight boxing history. The fight wasn’t even on the horizon yet, but the boxing world was already gripped by the spectacle of this bitter personal animosity.

It all started with Haye, who was present amongst the media at the Klitschko vs Chisora post-fight press conference. He began to verbally confront Klitschko, challenging him to a WBC championship fight.

That’s when Chisora intervened and called Haye an embarrassment and challenged the ‘Haymaker’ to a fight. Haye responded to Chisora that he had lost “three fights in a row.” Shortly after, Chisora left the stage to confront David Haye face to face, which led to the brawl that lit the fire to this rivalry.

The Build-Up to the Fight

Once the fight was officially announced on the 8th of May 2012, the anticipation for it grew even more, as both Brits continued to trade barbs in the media. With each passing week, the excitement around the bout grew, and by the time fight night approached, it was clear that this would be far more than just a regular boxing match for the WBO International Heavyweight title.

It was going to be a battle for pride and glory, with each man looking to prove themselves following their respective defeats against the Klitschko brothers.

Promotions for the fight were also intense. Countless press conferences and media appearances were held in the months and weeks prior to the fight. The UK boxing world was also split right down the middle, with Haye’s fans backing his technical skills and ability to knock out his opponents, while Chisora’s fans backed his toughness and relentless aggression in the ring.

The Fight Night: Haye vs. Chisora in Detail

Chisora entered the stadium hooded and masked to the theme from Gladiator, while Haye’s entry music of choice was McFadden & Whitehead’s “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now”. Both fighters walked to the ring looking confident as rain was pouring from above.

Right from the sound of the opening bell, both fighters charged to the centre of the ring, trying to establish dominance early on. In the early seconds of round one, Haye threw and landed several heavy punches. Chisora was quick to adapt, dodging several heavy blows, while landing some of his own.

As the round came to an end, it was obvious that Haye vs Chisora would be a fight for the history books.

In round two, Chisora did exactly what Haye did - started the round off aggressively, landing a number of heavy blows and pushing Haye to the ropes. With neither fighter willing to back down, both heavyweights continued to come at each other relentlessly throughout the second round.

Rounds three and four were identical to the first two - both fighters continued to trade heavy blows, with neither willing to give an inch. Round five started off promising for Chisora, but after a powerful left counter-hook followed by a right, Chisora was brought to the canvas for the first time.

By the count of seven, he had gotten back up but Haye didn’t waste a second and charged directly at ‘War’, landing several heavy punches in quick succession, bringing Chisora down for the second time. Despite getting back up by the count of eight, the referee Luis Pabon put an end to the fight, declaring Haye the winner via TKO.