By Simon Hirst: David Haye defeated Dereck Chisora by way of TKO in their grudge match on Saturday night at Upton Park. The fight was given a big build after all the publicity it had got since their fist fight at the post fight press conference at Chisora’s world title loss to Vitali Klitschko. Around thirty thousand packed Upton Park in what was built as ‘License To Thrill’ and it certainly did that.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to fill the undercard with the talent this bill deserved due to threats from the BBBoC, which doesn’t need to be discussed. However, this wasn’t a bill that needed a strong undercard because the main event was a real British grudge, one that we haven’t really seen in years. It created much media buzz and was being sponsored by The Sun newspaper, Britain’s number one tabloid newspaper.

The weather was not to defeat the event, if anything it only added to the occasion of it being a truly typical British event. Chisora entered the ring looking in good condition. Many suspected his best chance of grabbing a win would be later in the fight, by pressuring Haye and wearing him down with relentless pressure. This tactic has worked against taller guys with Helenius only grabbing a split decision and Vitali arguably given his toughest fight since Lennox Lewis.

Haye entered with his usual magnificent physique, but with it being almost a year outside the ring, would their be ring rust and would he be able to cope with Chisora?

As expected, Haye was winning the first few rounds, throwing more than he usually does to keep Chisora at bay. Chisora’s defence and chin seemed sound early on, but he wasn’t winning points with the judges with his wild swings that Haye managed to duck with ease.

Controversy stole the third round as things got hot towards the end, the referee ended the round ten seconds early with the only explanation being perhaps he mistook the clack to indicate ten seconds of the round remaining with the bell. Chisora had knocked Haye back with a left, but Haye didn’t seem too buzzed as the referee jumped in, which in turn helped make people believe that the impact this had was not of major significance.

Haye carried on where he had left of in the fourth, but the game changer was in the fifth round when Chisora following Haye and as Haye stepped back, caught Chisora dead cold with a superbly timed long left followed by a right to put Chisora down for the first time in his career. Chisora had never been down prior to this and seemed very shaken. Haye smelt blood and refused to let Chisora grab hold of him whilst throwing punches. Haye landed a five punch combination whilst Chisora tried wild swings back which didn’t help his cause, leaving him open for the final two punches. In Chisora’s defence, he got up but the referee mercifully waved the fight off handing Haye the TKO win.

Perhaps almost more importantly as the fight, the two men embraced, showed mutual respect and both declared this the end of their feud in what was an excellent showing of sportsmanship, with Chisora clapping whilst Haye was announced the winner. This perhaps proved the event was right to take place, with the matters being dealt with in the ring and a line being drawn afterwards. Had this fight not have taken place, bad blood may have continued in the media and perhaps in their personal lives, which is certainly not good for the sport of boxing.

So where does Chisora go from here? One could not begrudge him a few fights out of world class to regain some confidence and a chance to practice some of his boxing skills. Chisora was not discredited in this fight, but simply lacked the knowledge of how to deal with Haye’s skill set. Dropping down a class to European level may be the best option, but will the move really inspire Chisora? If he looks long term, hopefully it can, but this is his fourth defeat in his last four meaningful fights. Perhaps targeting a few warm ups before chasing Helenius again would be a suitable option.

As for Haye, he only wants two men, and they are the Klitschko brothers. Most would like to see him fight Vitali a lot more than Wladimir, but whether that fight can be made remains to be seen. Perhaps accepting lesser terms may be beneficial, but it all depends on whether Haye wants money or a legacy. Both aren’t mutually exclusive but if he really believes in himself that he will beat Vitali, greater riches would lie ahead. If that fight didn’t materialise, it is being suggested Haye will drift back into retirement which is a huge shame for British boxing and those who paid to see him on BoxNation and went to Upton Park. I would love to see him fight Povetkin for his version of the WBA title as it may give him small leverage in negotiations.

In reflection, the event was a huge success and achieved everything everyone wanted. Chisora, in the role of the villain, was stopped spectacularly stopped by the hero on the night, David Haye with both of them ending the feud after, with hindsight proving this was a very good move by Frank Warren to match the two. No problems occurred for Luxembourg officials and the show went without a hitch. A penny for the thoughts of BBBoC please.