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Chisora confounds critics

Sport
MUNICH — Dereck Chisora was punished for slapping Vitali Klitschko as the WBC heavyweight champion took his revenge with a sustained beating in Munich. The eccentric 28-year-old Londoner shamefully struck the veteran across the face during the staredown following Friday’s weigh-in. An infuriated Klitschko (40) delivered on his promise to make Chisora pay by schooling […]

MUNICH — Dereck Chisora was punished for slapping Vitali Klitschko as the WBC heavyweight champion took his revenge with a sustained beating in Munich.

The eccentric 28-year-old Londoner shamefully struck the veteran across the face during the staredown following Friday’s weigh-in.

An infuriated Klitschko (40) delivered on his promise to make Chisora pay by schooling the 28-year-old challenger over 12 rounds and winning a wide unanimous points decision.

Chisora, however, emerged from the bout with more credit than he started it with after putting in a courageous and aggressive performance.

Chisora, with a record of 15-2 heading into the contest, had been priced as generously as 10-1 by some bookmakers to do the unthinkable and inflict Klitschko’s first loss since a cuts defeat to Lennox Lewis nine years ago.

Since then, the Ukrainian veteran had amassed a 43-2 (40KOs) record to establish himself — along with brother Wladimir, the WBA/IBF/WBO champion — as the king of the sport’s marquee division.

Interest in the low-key fight was undoubtedly boosted by Chisora’s unsavoury behaviour during the traditional face-off after Saturday’s weigh-in, with the Zimbabwe-born Briton slapping the champion hard across the face.

The WBC confirmed they will fine Chisora for the stunt while the ill feeling continued right up to the first bell with a row behind the scenes concerning the hand- wrapping process.

Chisora was unsurprisingly booed and jeered by the 12 000-strong crowd as he made his way to the ring before Klitschko’s glitzy entrance.

Chisora immediately sought to get in his opponent’s face as soon as the 40-year-old stepped between the ropes and even spat water in his brother’s direction as the introductions were made.

Chisora pressed the early action and enjoyed the odd success in the first round, but Klitschko, while cumbersome, was largely untroubled and kept catching the challenger on the way in. A Chisora right to the body and follow-up left hook was at least eye-catching.

Klitschko looked uncomfortable at times but maintained an air of authority. A downward right hand was brushed off by Chisora but three more, all single shots, were more telling.

Klitschko was feinting with the jab and landing his powerful right, with a fierce uppercut hitting home hard in the third.

Chisora was at least making a fight of it, however one-sided it tended to be.

The Briton jumped in with a left hook late in the fourth but took a right to the jaw for his trouble.

Two judges had Klitschko winning every round after four sessions but one somehow had the challenger winning one.

Chisora was at least showing aggression and punch resistance to back up his pre-fight misdemeanours, landing a winging right but taking a counter shot back in the sixth.

Chisora was slow off his stool for the seventh, perhaps with the futility of the task at hand dawning on him.

Two body shots hit Klitschko’s ribs, a left hook also landed and a winging right gave the champion something to consider.

A shot right near the ear by Klitschko was the first time Chisora looked hurt, however, as the champion finished the round well on top.

Chisora thudded in a left hook but again was forced to swallow a powerful shot in return.

Further single right hands thudded home late in the ninth to enthral the partisan Klitschko crowd.

Chisora landed the occasional glancing blow but Klitschko’s effectiveness kept him streets ahead.

Still Chisora came forward, though, sucking up the punishment until the final bell before the unanimous verdict in Klitschko’s favour was announced, with scores of 118-110 twice and 119-111.