By Victor Kanayo
Derek Chisora secured a unanimous decision victory over Otto Wallin in his final fight, held in the United Kingdom.
Chisora dominated from the opening bell, knocking Wallin down twice in a packed Co-op Live Arena in Manchester.
The judges scored the contest 117-109, 114-112, and 116-110 in favour of Chisora, who improved his overall record to 36 wins in 49 fights.
The bout was elevated to an IBF world title eliminator earlier in the week, positioning Chisora to face either champion Daniel Dubois or Joseph Parker, who meet on 22 February.
Former four-weight world champion Roberto Durán, WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball—who faces TJ Doheny on 15 March—Joe Joyce, and Dillian Whyte were among those in attendance for Chisora’s UK send-off.
In another Middleweight title decision earlier on Sunday, South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis outclassed Sean Strickland to retain his middleweight title by unanimous decision at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia.
The 31-year-old was the busier and more effective striker, securing his second victory over the American.
Two judges scored the contest 50-45, while the third had it 49-46 in Du Plessis’ favour.
In the co-main event, China’s Zhang Weili defended her strawweight title with a dominant performance against American Tatiana Suarez.
The 35-year-old was the pre-fight underdog but out-struck and out-grappled Suarez to earn a unanimous decision victory.
The fight was a rematch of their bout just over a year ago, when Du Plessis triumphed via split decision after a back-and-forth contest.
Strickland’s Claim
Strickland, 33, had previously claimed he should have won their first encounter but had no grounds for complaint about the judges’ decision at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
With former light-heavyweight and middleweight champion Alex Pereira in his corner, Strickland stirred controversy during fight week with inflammatory comments but was nevertheless cheered by fans during his walkout.
Strickland spent much of the contest methodically using his jab and front kick, while Du Plessis landed the more significant and eye-catching strikes.
