Dereck Chisora put on a great performance of his incredible career by beating Joe Joyce.
The 40-year-old knocked the Putney legend down and trampled him around in North Greenwich, before earning a stunning decision.
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This should signal the end of 2016 Olympic silver medallist Joyce’s professional career, as he has no defensive ability and has lost three of his last four matches abysmally.
Del Boy should also retire but after the judges gave him verdicts of 97-92, 96-94 and 96-94 it looks as though he is set to fight two more bouts – in Manchester and in his birthplace Zimbabwe – before calling an end to his great career.
Chisora has spent the long winters of his career training at MMA gyms in London and has tried to make the opening bout a wrestling match.
Taking away the 38-year-old Joyce’s height and reach advantage was a smart move and he managed to land some clubbing hooks to Joyce’s chest.
Joyce wasn’t allowed to jab or box out of Rand’s straight punches, but he did catch Dale with one good early hook of his own.
The second was a similar fight, involving more hooks than a fishing tackle store.
You could be forgiven for thinking that this exceptional boxing has led to the British Boxing Board of Control outlawing the jab.
Joyce was beaten, slapped, and whipped, but he never moved or complained.
Joyce’s ridged skull was a magnet for punches even in the third round, his best defense appearing to be welcoming the attacks.
But, just before the bell, Chisora was tagged twice and this thrilling session ended on the back foot and on the ropes.
Chisora’s bearded face was smeared with Vaseline and his energy had evaporated.
But Joyce’s non-existent defence meant Chisora could punch him everywhere in the ring, rattling his brains with punishing but predictable blows that even a fighter with a tenth of Joyce’s experience should have sensed and avoided.
However, Chisora’s attacking success came at a cost, and the Smart Car driver looked exhausted by the fifth round.
Yet he managed to land about a dozen blows on Joyce’s unprotected face, and it was really hard to watch.
Boxing fans beg Manny Pacquiao to ‘never fight again’ as legendary boxer struggles with ‘looking 100 years old’ in exhibition matchJoyce – ever the gentleman – hit Chisora with a hard punch after the bell that nearly cost him a point.
The same thing happened in the sixth round, with Joyce throwing caution to the wind and lifting his nose and cheeks to practice aiming.
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The biggest surprise in the seventh round was that Joyce’s face didn’t look like an apprentice butcher’s knife.
His chiseled and bearded face should have been soaked in blood, with pieces of flesh hanging off it. But there was barely a mark left on him after the one-sided beating.
But in the eighth round it looked like Chisora would tire and collapse. He was barely able to stand, dropping his hands and staggering around the O2 ring. Still Joyce couldn’t catch him and he went back to his blue corner again with 60 seconds to go.
As the clock struck nine, Joyce landed a powerful left hook and Chisora began to bleed from his mouth, causing a worrying situation.
But moments later, when he seemed trapped in a corner and struggling to save his life, he blew out his right arm, causing Joyce to fall.
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The Fine Arts graduate somehow jumped in and beat the count and pursued Chisora until the bell rang, ending another stunning session.
Chisora now only had to survive the tenth and final round, Joyce hit the deck but he slipped and British boxing’s cult hero came running and jigging and hooking and rousing the crowd to victory.
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