FORMER UNDISPUTED CRUISERWEIGHT world champion Oleksandr Usyk earned a hard-fought but deserved unanimous decision over veteran gatekeeper Dereck Chisora in what was the Ukrainian’s second bout up at heavyweight.

Usyk was awarded the contest on scores of 117-112 and 115-113(x2), and was well worth his victory despite Chisora’s excellent effort across 12 rounds.

The veteran Zimbabwe-born Briton had a weight advantage of more than three stone and duly hassled and harried Usyk up close at every opportunity, pocketing at least a couple of the early rounds through relentless pressure and a handful of thudding rights.

The unbeaten Eastern European found his rhythm at the halfway mark, however, and had Chisora in trouble at the end of the seventh when a left cross and follow-up combination saw the bigger man fall backwards into the ropes where he was saved by the bell.

Usyk, a 2012 Olympic champion, shipped his fair share of shots but was never hurt, and became more potent in his own right as the fight progressed.

The 33-year-old was able to land his left hook almost at will in the second half, albeit he was unable to truly rock Chisora beyond that flurry late in the seventh.

Usyk’s boxing was, at times, exquisite, but Chisora appeared to catch a second wind just as the Ukrainian looked to turn the screw, which meant that the high-tempo contest remained engaging and competitive until the final bell.

Usyk is now the mandatory challenger for Anthony Joshua’s WBO World heavyweight title, but rated his own performance as three out of 10 during a post-fight interview delivered through broken English.

It was probably closer to a six or a seven, and ultimately Usyk dealt with Chisora with greater ease than Dillian Whyte who, until his recent defeat to Alexander Povetkin, was deemed to be one of the top four heavyweights in the world.

Usyk, who emphasised his goal of becoming a two-weight undisputed champion post-fight, improves to 18-0(13KOs) in victory, while 36-year-old Chisora drops to 32-10(23KOs).