The fight of the year? No. The fight of the decade. No.

This was the Fight of the Century.

Rarely, if ever, in fact, has boxing roared to a prizefight of such relentless action, so many punches of so much devastating power, such exhibitions of courage under bombardment that it will take months for these monumental gladiators to recover. If ever they really do.

Derek Chisora, please, God, call it time at last. For your own sake. At the fiftieth time of asking. There is nothing left to prove. There wasn’t much to do before this phenomenal battle beside the Thames. But here, in the pandemonium of the O2, he went light-years beyond the call of duty.

So did Deontay Wilder, who had asked to do him the favour of being his partner in this dance of near-death.

The Bronze Bomber accepted, as a pal does, and had to mark his 50th fight by going through almost as much hell himself.

How did Del 'Warboy' survive countless thunderbolts from the American who reigned for six years as world heavyweight champion, being the heaviest puncher since Mike Tyson? Since both men are devout Christians, let’s call it a miracle.

They kept swinging away when they looked out on their feet. They were both knocked to the floor time after time. In Chisora’s case, twice through the ropes as he took counts.

A split decision against him seems about right, even though Wilder landed more of the blows, which would have levelled a dozen other opponents on this remarkable night. So many were the topplings that the official scorers got in a muddle as to how many.

Given the two judgments in his favour - 115-111, 115-113 against 115-112 for Chisora - Wilder has swerved his own retirement, encouraged not only by the victory but by his own bravery in such a testing fight.

Chisora leaves the stage as a cult figure in prizefighting, forever remembered for this epic night in the company of the best made.

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Chisora, ever the jolly optimist, had predicted ‘the O2 will be buzzing this Saturday.’

As it turned out, the huge hot-air balloon on the south bank was not that close to being full for his expected swansong.

In truth, it was never going to be, with one end of the arena closed off. But there was a lively rustling in the bushes on the shore of the Thames.

If it was to be the end of one of boxing’s rock-and-roll careers, London was not going to let him go without a party.

The mood of celebration was boosted as customers at other attractions encircling the dome were tempted to join the fun by a late drop in ticket prices.

Why not? This was more an occasion than a fight for the marbles. That and a private joust to resolve which of the two amigos is the better man.

Anthony Joshua, despite appearing to be in semi-retirement, showed up. When he and Wilder crossed paths accidentally in a corridor as AJ was finding his way to ringside, the American slugger ignored him. Deliberately, it seemed.

It would be a more complicated route back to another title shot for either of them. Given that Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois are but four of the present or former world champions currently locked into finding who is the true ruler of the heavyweight kingdom.

Chisora the brawler versus Wilder the slugger was one for the cognoscenti and the I-was-there brigade to enjoy for its own sake. Chisora made his entry into the ring, as forever with his face masked by a Union Flag, to a boisterous welcome.

However, he was wobbled by puncher Wilder’s first right. Heavier blows followed before the Bomber was cautioned for using his height to almost lean Chisora out of the ring. Wilder met the next charge with a barrage of huge punches which would have finished a less resilient foe. But reeling though he was the only time he went down was from a slip.

Chisora’s best hope was to prolong the fight. To do that he had to survive some more bombs in the third. But he then whaled away with some massive blows to win his first round of the contest in the fourth.

Chisora went down again in the fifth, but this time Wilder was warned for shoving him over. Chisora exacted his own revenge with some more bludgeoning rights, before slipping over in the effort.

This was turning into a crowd pleaser if ever there was one. More clubbing blows came from Wilder in the sixth. And he just about edged the seventh.

One huge right came from Chisora in the eighth. After more brawling, Wilder was deducted a point from what should have been a 10-8 round in his favour.

In the ninth, Chisora found Wilder’s chin with a left hook. But in the tenth, Chisora was hunched in a corner while Wilder lined up a number of blows.

In the 11th, Chisora went through the ropes for another count in this phenomenal battle, but from somewhere dropped Wilder with a bazooka of his own.

The final round was a proper brawl, a fitting climax to an astonishing fight.