Never write off Derek Chisora. The indomitable British heavyweight, at the ripe old age of 41, has secured himself another shot at the world title with a superb points victory over the Swede Otto Wallin in Manchester.

Chisora, competing in his 49th fight and 18 years on from his professional debut, knocked down his opponent twice in a relentlessly one-sided bout. Daniel Dubois, the British holder of the IBF belt, is now obliged to fight him.

Chisora took the fight to his 6ft 5in southpaw adversary from the opening bell, stepping inside the jab to land a succession of clubbing shots. Wallin, who had shown a lack of conviction in his previous bout – a defeat by Anthony Joshua – looked similarly tentative at the Co-Op Arena and offered little that was meaningful for the first two-thirds of the bout.

The only real problem for Chisora arose after an accidental clash of heads in the fifth round, which led to cuts both above and below his left eye, causing blood to run freely down his cheek – whilst, at least briefly, appearing to impair his vision.

The referee John Latham asked for the wound to be checked but Chisora was permitted to fight on and his corner suitably stemmed the flow of blood for him to complete the bout with his aggression hardly dimmed.  

Chisora claimed his first knockdown in the ninth round with a haymaker that struck Wallin’s temple. To the Swede’s credit, the punch actually seemed to stir him into some form of life and he connected with his best shots in the final three rounds.

However, they did little to trouble Chisora and, despite appearing exhausted at the end, he somehow summoned the energy to launch one final assault and send Wallin crashing to the canvas again moments before the final bell sounded.

That the judges scored the bout 117-109, 114-112 and 116-11 in Chisora’s favour scarcely reflected his dominance.

11:39 PM GMT

Chisora turns sights to world title bout

Chisora invites the rapper Skepta into the ring to help him decide whom he should fight next, with his entourage holding up portraits of Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk. He then asks the crowd to choose an opponent for what, he has promised, will be his final bout. His promoter Frank Warren, having been invited to the ring, points out that Dubois is now obliged to defend his world title against Chisora but Warren says he is prepared to pursue whomever his man should want as his next opponent.

11:33 PM GMT

Chisora triumphs

‘Del Boy’ has secured himself another shot at the world title with a superbly brave performance aged 41, returning scorecards of 117-109, 114-112 and 116-110. They scarcely reflect what was a relentlessly one-sided bout.

11:30 PM GMT

Round 12: Chisora claims another knockdown!

What a finish. Having soaked up another relatively meek assault from Wallin, Chisora completes the fight with a flurry of shots that send the Swede back to the canvas. Chisora puts such effort into the attack that he almost loses his footing as the final punch lands. The ball then sounds with Wallin struggling to his knees, ensuring a suitably theatrical conclusion to an excellent fight.

10-8 Chisora

11:25 PM GMT

Round 11: Chisora bravely hanging on

Chisora’s energy is spent but, for all Wallin’s belated willingness to attack, the task of exploiting his physical advantage now looks beyond him. Chisora, the blood staining his cheek again, concludes the round with wild, wayward shots that signal the extent of his exhaustion.

10-9 Wallin

11:21 PM GMT

Round 10: Wallin at last shows some fight

Wallin’s corner are pleading with him to show more fight, insisting that he is a “warrior” and now needs to demonstrate it. The Swede shows a degree of response, unloading a few of the enterprising punches that hitherto seemed beyond him. Chisora is not obviously hurt but it is probably the first round to Swede. He needs to stop Chisora now, though, to avoid defeat.

10-9 Wallin

11:17 PM GMT

Round 9: Chisora knocks Wallin down!

The first knockdown! Wallin, having offered little but tentative counter-punches, is finally floored after a huge, haymaking right from Chisora clips his temple. Chisora, who is finally showing signs of tiring, steps back for the rest of the round – his two-point advantage secured.

10-8 Chisora

11:12 PM GMT

Round 8: Wallin beginning to fold

Chisora continues to step up his assault, launching a left hand with such ferocity that it lifts him on to one leg, whilst sending Wallin back-pedalling into the corner. Scenting blood, Chisora then rains down at least a dozen shots on Wallin, striking both his body and head. The referee spotts a few below the belt and calls a break, offering Walling respite that might have saved him.

10-9 Chisora

11:07 PM GMT

Round 7: Chisora chases knockout

Incredible bravery from Chisora, who unleashes heavy shots with both hands at the end of the round, having trapped Wallin in the corner. Latham has ruled that cut resulted from an accidental clash of heads, which means that the fight will be decided on the scorecard should it be waved off. That offers Chisora hope, but it would be remiss of Wallin now not to target the wound.

10-9 Chisora

11:03 PM GMT

Round 6: Chisora survives check on eye

The blood from Chisora’s cut is running down his face and into his eye, prompting the referee John Latham to pause the fight and ask for it to be checked. Chisora is allowed to go on but this could pose a problem for him. His vision is impaired. His superb response to the predicament is only to step his aggression but he is now vulnerable, despite having controlled the fight.

10:59 PM GMT

Round 5: Chisora cut on the eye

Wallin at least finds his target with a sharp left hand, but it does little to slow Chisora’s momentum. The Briton, for the first time, appears to be breathing heavily and moves on to his toes, presumably to recover a little energy. Two cuts have appeared above and below Chisora’s left eye following a clinch but his control of the round should make it another one to him.

10-9 Chisora

10:55 PM GMT

Round 4: Chisora lands heavy upper cuts

Chisora continues to move within range of his opponent, suggesting he is not unduly concerned about Wallin’s power. By the end of the round, Chisora moves close enough for Wallin to scent his breath before unleashing several heavy upper cuts. They land with aplomb. If the fight continues in this vein, the only potential problem for Chisora will involve him expending his energy too soon.

10-9 Chisora.

10:50 PM GMT

Round 3: Chisora tightens grip on fight

Wallin resorts to holding Chisora in several clinches to try to draw the sting from the increasing pressure on him. The Briton protests to the referee before resuming his control of the fight, landing the first shot of substance with a powerful right, drawing a booming cheer from the crowd. Wallin needs to offer more or the bout will soon slip away from him.

10-9 Chisora

10:46 PM GMT

Round 2: Wallin struggling for rhythm

Chisora retains the initiative, swarming over his opponent and preventing him from unloading any meaningful shots. Wallin, who lacked conviction in his defeat by Joshua, has so far looked similarly shy on confidence here.

10-9 Chisora

10:43 PM GMT

Round 1: Chisora on front foot

Chisora immediately takes the fight to Wallin, stepping inside the 6ft 5in Swede’s jab to try to prevent him settling into any rhythm. The Briton’s tactic is keep his gloves close as he closes in on his opponent, presumably to serve as a shield against Wallin’s dangerous left hook. A promising, bold start from Chisora.

Score: 10-9 Chisora

10:34 PM GMT

‘Highwayman’ Chisora enters the ring

Chisora’s career has followed a remarkable trajectory since his 2007 debut. Four defeats in five fights looked to have derailed it as long ago as 2012 – when David Haye, Vitali Klitschko and Tyson Fury all beat him – whilst many thought an identical run in 2021 and 2022 would signal the end, particularly when it culminated in what seemed a fitting final challenge for Fury’s world title. Instead Chisora fought on, beating the American Gerald Washington 18 months ago, and now he is embarking on another ringwalk, a Union Jack scarf covering his face highwayman-style, Hotel California blasting over the PA.

10:24 PM GMT

Duran takes centre stage

Roberto Duran, the brilliant former Panamian fighter, is also at the Co-Op Arena this evening and has been introduced to the crowd. Duran has reportedly watched each of the bouts from the front row, including Briton Nathan Heaney’s just-completed defeat by Frenchman Sofiane Khati, a contest for the WBA Middleweight Continental Europe title.

Next up is the main event. Here is Duran, the veteran of 119 bouts, saluting the crowd aged 73.

10:13 PM GMT

Whyte expects Chisora victory

Dillian Whyte, the British heavyweight who has twice defeated Chisora, is in attendance this evening and backing his old adversary to win by a stoppage. Whyte defeated Chisora on a split decision in 2016 and knocked him out two years later.

10:05 PM GMT

Chisora fights back tears

The emotion of the evening has already told on Chisora, who appeared tearful as he was filmed arriving to the venue.

10:02 PM GMT

Miller lands Commonwealth title

With Chisora’s ringwalk expected at around 10.15pm, the event is working its way through the undercard. In the completed fights so far, Zach Parker, the British super-middleweight, defeated the Frenchman Mickael Diallo on a unanimous decision, Zak Miller dethroned Masood Abdullah as the Commonwealth and British featherweight champion via a majority decision, and Lewis Williams beat Cristian Uwaka on points after a four-rounder. The latter two fights were both all-British contests.      

09:48 PM GMT

Wallin aiming to get back on track

Wallin, 34, was granted this opportunity after an expected bout between Chisora and Jarrell Miller, the American, fell through. With only two defeats on the Swede’s record from 30 fights, 15 of which he has won by knockout, he is far from a second-rate stand-in, however, and impressively defeated the former cruiserweight world champion Murat Gassiev less than 18 months ago. It preceded a more punishing defeat by Anthony Joshua in Riyadh, when Wallin’s corner withdrew him after the fifth round.  

09:35 PM GMT

Reformed bad boy who is friends with Farage

Gareth A Davies, The Telegraph’s boxing writer, interviewed Chisora over a caviar lunch in Belgravia. In a wide-ranging and typically frank conversation, the fighter covered his mellowing from the infamously belligerent persona of his youth to the more popular, elder statesman status he enjoys today, while also reflecting on his addiction to the sport and explaining the reason for his friendship with Nigel Farage. On the final subject, he said: “I think we have to put British people first.”

09:22 PM GMT

Chisora aiming for one final shot at glory

Derek Chisora, Britain’s indomitable heavyweight, will embark on what he has promised will be his penultimate bout tonight in Manchester against the Swede Otto Wallin. With the 41-year-old Chisora planning to contest his final fight overseas, this final contest on British soil has been billed as ‘The Last Dance’ for a professional career that has covered 48 fights and, almost incomprehensibly, 18 years.

The bout at the Co-op Live Arena is more than just a farewell vehicle for the boxer affectionately known as Del Boy, however, having been upgraded to the status of IBF title eliminator. The winner is slated to fight whoever prevails in the fight between Daniel Dubois, the British champion, and Joseph Parker in Riyadh in 16 days’ time.

Chisora, formerly a British, European and Commonwealth champion, fell short in his two world-title bouts against Vitali Klitschko in 2012 and Tyson Fury a decade later. Might he sign off from the sport by correcting that shortcoming?