The Misfits Boxing 21 main event featured a showdown between Darren Till and Darren Stewart in an influencer boxing match held on Friday at the Vaillant Live venue in Derby, England.
Match Overview
Till aimed to extend his professional boxing record to 3-0, headlining his second consecutive event for the promotion. In his Misfits debut in January, Till secured an impressive sixth-round knockout victory over Anthony Taylor. Known as “The Gorilla,” Till was formerly a welterweight title challenger in the UFC but departed from the promotion in 2022. His mixed martial arts record stands at 18-5-1.
Stewart is also a former UFC competitor, where he compiled a 5-7 (2 NC) record. This bout marked his professional boxing debut. His most recent appearance in combat sports was a second-round knockout loss to Carlos Pereira in Cage Warriors in March 2024, a defeat that ended his prior four-fight winning streak.
Fight Commentary
Walkouts & Introductions: Stewart made his entrance first, clad entirely in black. Till followed, walking out to OutKast`s “Roses,” wearing black with dark blue shorts and black and red gloves. During introductions, the crowd in England was relatively subdued. Visually, Till appeared significantly larger than Stewart. The fighters received their final instructions and touched gloves, signaling the start of the contest.
Round 1: Stewart began in an orthodox stance, while Till adopted a southpaw stance. Stewart immediately took the center of the ring, pressing Till towards the ropes, leading to an early clinch and inside fighting. Till landed a jab followed by a clean left hand and then some power shots. Stewart continued to crowd him effectively along the ropes. Till attempted to time a powerful left hand to score a knockdown but hadn`t found the range yet. Suddenly, Till changed tactics, stepping forward and looping a left hand around Stewart`s guard, sending Stewart to the canvas for a knockdown!
Stewart managed to beat the count but looked visibly unsteady. Till sought to land follow-up shots, but Stewart showed resilience, covering up and occasionally firing back, though his offense lacked effectiveness. Till remained composed, focusing on setting up his left hand. He landed sharp lefts down the middle and looped a big left hook. Stewart largely concentrated on defense and movement.
Till avoided becoming overly aggressive. He landed a nice uppercut, which Stewart countered with a right hand that lacked power. The round concluded after the bell. Till convincingly won the round 10-8 due to the knockdown.
Round 2: Stewart seemed to have regained his footing at the start of the second round, while Till appeared sharp and focused. Stewart continued his forward pressure, but Till connected with a left when backed against the ropes, resulting in a clinch and break. Stewart successfully made the fight a gritty affair by staying in close, landing a decent right hand – a strategy that benefited him more than trading at range, where Till was landing almost at will. Till countered Stewart`s advances with a big left hand, which Stewart absorbed well. Till`s punches consistently landed as Stewart walked through them. Stewart occasionally switched stances, and Till appeared to conserve energy, selecting his shots carefully. Stewart landed a jab but was met with another left from Till just before the clinch at the end of the round. Till won the round 10-9, extending his lead on points.
Round 3: Stewart immediately resumed his aggressive forward pressure in the third round, staying close to Till and preventing him from using the ropes to create space. Till visibly seemed to be tiring, leaning on the ropes and primarily seeking counter-knockout opportunities as Stewart pressed forward and landed a good right hand. When Till managed to pivot off after landing a left or create distance, he landed effective combinations, including nice uppercuts to the body, demonstrating his capability when not smothered. However, Stewart remained relentless, landing a good right hand along the ropes. Till struggled to disengage from Stewart`s constant forward march, which appeared almost robotic in its persistence. Till won this round as well, 10-9.
Round 4: Stewart charged forward aggressively in the fourth round. Till landed an uppercut, but Stewart simply walked through it and landed his own shots along the ropes. Till`s offense became less frequent and impactful, focusing more on defense or single power shots rather than combinations. Stewart engaged in rough inside fighting. Till landed body uppercuts, seemingly targeting the body after failing to score a clean headshot knockout. Stewart, still competitive, landed a pair of strong right hands to Till`s head. Till seemed to slow down. A brief pause occurred, apparently for a low blow (though it looked borderline), and Till was observed bleeding by his right eye. This was Stewart`s most effective round, earning him a 10-9 score and slightly closing the gap on the scorecards.
Round 5: Till attempted to use his jab early in the fifth round, aiming to keep Stewart at a distance, but Stewart walked through it and pinned Till against the ropes once more. Till seemed to find a renewed burst of energy, throwing punches in close and landing a significant left hand. However, Stewart responded powerfully, connecting with a nasty right hand that forced Till to cover up. Stewart appeared to have lost some power by this stage, but he continued to land. Till adjusted his strategy, jabbing and moving backward constantly. Stewart seemed in good spirits, smiling and interacting with someone in the crowd during a clinch. The fighters traded shots inside. Till employed an old-school technique, resting his lead hand on Stewart`s head before following with his left hand. The round proved surprisingly engaging. Till won the round 10-9.
Round 6: Stewart immediately returned to pressing forward in the sixth, but Till initially stood his ground and traded before giving way to the ropes. Against the ropes, Stewart landed multiple shots to the body and head. Till attempted to counter during inside exchanges, which Stewart welcomed. Stewart landed lighter punches as Till covered up. Till landed a couple of left hands, but Stewart maintained close quarters with his right hand. Till spent more time defending, allowing Stewart to land. Despite the early knockdown, Stewart gave a resilient performance, though his own power appeared to diminish as the round progressed. The fighters were seen talking to each other and seemingly enjoying the moment, demonstrating a positive rapport. Stewart won the round 10-9.
Round 7: By the seventh round, the fight began to resemble a high-level sparring session. Both fighters showed mutual respect and appeared to be enjoying the contest, with much of the initial power seemingly gone, resulting in many punches landed but fewer truly damaging blows. Stewart immediately pursued Till, pushing him back to the ropes. Till attempted a few powerful shots to create space but was unsuccessful. Much of the round was spent in close quarters. When Till did manage to pivot out, he landed effective shots to the body, but Stewart quickly closed the distance again. Both fighters swung hard, trading shots. Stewart displayed greater determination and persistence, landing a good right hand and physically wearing Till down with his relentless pressure. Stewart won his third consecutive round, 10-9.
Round 8: With three minutes remaining, Stewart likely needed a finish to win. He continued employing his effective tactic of pinning Till against the ropes. Till, aware of the limited time, threw spirited hooks and landed a left. Stewart, exhibiting confidence, occasionally dropped his hands, but Till moved better this round, attempting to avoid being cornered. Till was bleeding near his right eye. He landed a sharp left hand as Stewart advanced but received a right hand from Stewart in return. Till created space, landing a significant left, but Stewart`s incredible durability held up. After a clinch, Stewart landed a right hand on the restart, bullying Till back. Till responded with clean right hooks and a well-timed uppercut. With about 50 seconds left, Till landed a big left. Stewart again landed a right hand. In the final moments, Till moved to space and lined up a *perfectly timed left hand* that landed flush right as the final bell sounded! Stewart, potentially anticipating the round`s end, was caught cleanly on the temple, staggering severely and almost falling through the ropes.
Although Stewart managed to beat the referee`s count, the impact of that final punch seemed to definitively seal the decision for Till.
Official Result
Darren Till defeated Darren Stewart via unanimous decision. The official scorecards read 77-74, 77-74, and 77-73 in favor of Till.
Post-Fight Reactions
In his post-fight interview, Till was quick to give credit to Darren Stewart, emphasizing that fighters can have an intense “absolute war” without needing to be disrespectful. He praised Stewart as “one tough, tough bastard,” noting that even sparring sessions where he knocked out heavyweights didn`t compare to Stewart`s ability to withstand his power.
Till then issued a direct call-out to KSI, stating explicitly that he *did* want to fight him. He mentioned his ability to make the required weight and acknowledged KSI`s victory over Tommy Fury. As an alternative proposal, Till suggested a potential tag-team fight where he and KSI would face off against the Paul brothers, Jake and Logan.
Marcus Blakely