Dereck Chisora labours to win over Senad Gashi but Dave Allen lights up the O2 by beating Lucas Browne

Dereck Chisora laboured to victory over Senad Gashi at the O2 Arena as he fought for the first time since his defeat to Dillian Whyte.

Chisora, in his first bout under trainer Dave Coldwell, won by a unanimous decision - 100-90, 100-91, 99-91 - on the judges' scorecards.

Chisora improved his career record to 30-9 but it was a far-from-entertaining victory against an opponent who frustrated the Briton with his elusive style.

Gashi, who suffered the third defeat of his 20-fight professional career, landed a nice counter punch in the second but Chisora connected with a good body shot in the third and took control of the fight.

Chisora continued to be the aggressor throughout the bout but his opponent survived to the end of the 10 rounds.

The 35-year-old will have been hoping for a more headline-grabbing display as he returned to the ring for the first time since his 11th-round knockout at the hands of Whyte in December.

Also on the O2 Arena card, Dave Allen picked up the biggest victory of his career so far with a third-round stoppage of Australia’s Lucas Browne.

The 27-year-old bounced back from a tricky opening two rounds to land a heavy body shot that stopped Browne in his tracks, and resulted in the 40-year-old failing to beat the 10-count to suffer only his second defeat of his career.

"Main eventing is one thing, but I had to win," said Allen. "It's alright telling my grandkids I headlined the O2 but I want more now. I've proven I can punch at a high level. It's a very good win.

"The left to the body was beautiful. Today I was fit. I could have done 12 rounds easily. He has underrated skill. It's a case of getting them down to my pace. I'm unbeatable at a snail's pace."

Allen has become a cult hero for British boxing fans after openly documenting his struggles in and out of the ring, having recovered from a gambling addiction and admitting his struggles with training and weight-cutting.