Was Usyk vs Chisora a close fight or not?

I think I scored it 8-4 to Usyk. I think the strategy from the start was to go the distance and although a tough fight Usyk was in control.
It makes sense for Usyk to put some miles on the clock and Chisora although limited is a tough dude. So pushing for a KO wasn't the right strategy for that fight. It also helped in terms of perception as other heavies. who would not be fearing him having gone the distance thus settng up future fights easier.

 

Chisora won 3 rounds I wouldn't call that competitive. But peoples expectations were Usyk was a top P4P'er and Chisora was a gatekeeper so anything other than a near shut out was going to seen as a poor performance by Usyk.

In reality Usyk apart from the odd moment was never in any trouble. Chisora did what he usually does, gave it his all, threw everything at Usyk and then just tried to do enough to make it to the final bell.

Sometimes even great fighters get pushed harder than they should vs less than stellar opposition and look lack lustre. Ali being dropped by Banks and Cooper. Holyfield vs Cooper and Czyz. Fury too is another who often has looked vulnerable at moments in fights vs over matched opposition but he always wins despite getting dropped by guys like Cunningham.

 

Chisora made it competitive early on and after the first few rounds it was all Usyk. Probably a 9-3 kind of fight, not that close. Chisora showed a lot of guts and fire and surprised people with his offensive and that may be what makes folks think it was close.