The start seemed to paralyze the reigning champion. In the first four rounds he did virtually nothing, focusing only on tight defense. Over time, he became increasingly bolder, even surprising his opponent several times, but when Chamberlain missed punches, he immediately increased the pace and tried to fight back. In the last, twelfth round, Laval decisively moved towards the goal, but the finish was too late.
After the final bell, the judges gave the victory to Chamberlain - 119-111 and twice 118-111.