DEREK CHISORA battled through a horror eye gash to beat Gerald Washington on points.
Chisora bounced back from a ten-round beating against Tyson Fury to return on Anthony Joshua’s undercard.
Derek Chisora beat Gerald Washington on pointsRichard Pelham / The Sun
Derek Chisora was left with a nasty cutRichard Pelham / The Sun
And he was made to work for his points victory with many feeling Washington, 41, was robbed on away soil.
Chisora, 38, started the fight in trademark style, pressing on the front foot and loading up with heavy hooks.
But Washington established a strong jab from the get-go and boxed nicely on the retreat.
The American was being walked down but landed the cleaner shots on the counter, most specifically the right uppercut.
Before the start of round four, Chisora had to have the state of his eye examined by the ringside doctor but he was allowed to carry on.
By the fifth, the British veteran and fans’ favourite began to have more success hammering Washington’s body with slashing hooks.
Chisora started to gain momentum and clawed back some rounds through sheer grit and determination.
But in the final third of the fight, Washigton looked to have found his second wind.
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He got back on his jab and counter punching to peal off down the stretch.
It set up a hellacious ending with both men sensing they needed to push the pace to ensure victory.
Ultimately, all three judges favoured Chisora’s work rate and tenacity with scores of 98-93, 97-94, 96-94 all in favour of Del Boy.
Richard Pelham / The SunDerek Chisora and Gerald Washington embrace[/caption]