On this day: Two British heavyweights stage an all-time classic

The heavyweight division has been through one of its most glorious periods in recent years, with Oleksandr Usyk emerging as the best of the era thanks to his brace of wins over high-profile Brits Anthony Joshua , Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois.

Knockout artist Moses Itauma is the new kid on the block and the unbeaten 20-year-old looks the heir apparent for when Usyk hangs up his gloves.

However, during all of this there are two British warriors who refuse to go away and they had the first of their two domestic classics on this day nine years ago.

On December 10, 2016, at the Manchester Arena, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora engaged in a thrilling 12 rounds of back-and-forth action that went down as one of the best domestic heavyweight battles in British boxing history.

Whyte prevailed by a split decision after their pulsating affair but Chisora’s stock rose in defeat and their bout stole the show, on a card which featured the likes of Joshua, Callum Smith , Scott Quigg, Katie Taylor and Conor Benn.

Bad blood aplenty in a heated build-up

The contest came about after the pair clashed on several occasions outside of the ring and the build-up could hardly have been more heated.

The pair’s ‘Gloves Are Off’ meeting saw them exchange insults as they faced off over a table and the dislike between the two was genuine.

That promotional film ended in chaos as Chisora threw a glass of water over his opponent, something Whyte didn’t take too kindly to and he grappled with security in a desperate attempt to get his hands on his man.

Things were even more highly-charged at the press conference when Chisora seemed hell-bent on causing trouble and got his wish with an outrageous manoeuvre.

In a furious rant at Whyte, Chisora shouted: “If you think I’m a p—y, I’m a punk, then you tell me right now. ‘Cause I am the baddest man you can f—g meet.”

Banging the table with his fist as he directed those words at Whyte, Chisora then picked up the table and launched in the direction of his opponent.

Promoter Eddie Hearn was caught on the crossfire and deflected the table with his raised arms, but the stunt sparked more chaotic scenes as security had to restrain the boxers and their entourages from getting to each other.

A classic tear-up for the ages

Having only lost to Anthony Joshua at this stage, Whyte was the favourite going into the bout and was widely fancied to take care of Chisora, who had mixed in better company but had a record of 26-6 at the time.

Come fight night, expectations were high following one of the most fiery build-ups in British heavyweight history but the contest somehow exceeded the fans’ already lofty hopes.

With each other’s threatening words and proclamations ringing in their ears, tactics went out of the window and the pair went toe-to-toe from the very first bell.

After both saying what they would do to each other ‘on the street’, the pair might as well have been fighting in that setting rather than a boxing ring as neither man gave an inch and they exchanged heavy artillery at close quarters throughout the enthralling 36 minutes.

Both men had more than their fair share of success, with Chisora landing heavy hooks to give his man serious trouble in rounds 5 & 8, while Whyte closed the show in style and rocked his opponent in the final session.

Nobody knew which way the verdict would go after a truly gripping encounter and the crowd waited for the scorecards with baited breath to see who would get the nod.

While one judge gave it to Chisora by 115-114, the other two scored it in favour of Whyte (115-114 and 115-113) and ‘The Body Snatcher’ claimed the bragging rights in this genuine grudge match.

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Rematch just as good

The pair had a return in December 2018, this time at London’s O2 Arena, and they delivered another brilliant battle for the fans again.

They pretty much picked up where they left off and went straight to war from the opening bell, but this time there was no debate about the outcome.

With Chisora ahead on two of the three scorecards going into round 11, he was knocked out clean when Whyte detonated a thunderous left-hook on his chin to settle the score in emphatic fashion.

Trilogy on the cards?

Whyte eventually got his long-awaiting title shot against Fury in 2022 but never got into the fight before being knocked out by a hellacious uppercut from ‘The Gypsy King’ in round 6.

He was last seen being battered into defeat by Itauma inside a round in the summer of 2025 but confirmed his desire to fight on.

Chisora has also lost numerous times since his rematch with Whyte, including against Fury and Usyk, but has become a cult hero with the British fans thanks to his never-say-die attitude. 

‘Del Boy’ is enjoying a real Indian summer, with three consecutive wins over Gerald Washington, Joe Joyce and Otto Wallin , and is currently in search of an opponent for what would be his 50th contest as a professional.

All the speculation suggested that opponent would be Whyte and a third meeting between the old foes was imminent, but neither has confirmed their next fight yet.

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