Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KOs) returned to the ring on Saturday and earned a split-decision victory over Derek Chisora (36-14, 23 KOs). It was a sloppy fight that featured endless home run punches, only landing sporadically. Chisora was down in the eighth and 11th rounds. Wilder had a point deducted in the eighth. Official scores were 115-113, 115-111 for Wilder, 115-112 for Chisora.
Not a great fight, a lot of the action ended in clinches. Both fighters looked every bit their ages, but the power in their shots made it feel the end could come at any time. Wilder had lost four of his last six fights and was hoping to get back in the title picture. Maybe he will. The dangerous right hand landed a few times, but never the one-shot, fight-ending blow that he was known for. DAZN broadcast the fight card and it was a pay-per-view offering. The main event did not rise to that level, despite the name value for Wilder and Chisora.
