Oleksandr Usyk outpointed Derek Chisora to set up a shot at Anthony Joshua.
But the world champion didn't appear overly concerned with what he had seen from his seat at ringside.
Joshua undertook a spying mission ahead of a potential fight with Usyk next year but left quickly after the result was announced.
And according to former world champion and Sky Sports pundit Johnny Nelson, the fact Joshua "skipped" away showed he was unperturbed by what he had witnessed.
The champion is likely to drop his WBO belt if Usyk refuses to take a back seat while Joshua faces Tyson Fury in an undisputed fight next spring.
That would leave Usyk to fight for the vacant belt against either Daniel Dubois or Joe Joyce.
Usyk, who unified the cruiserweight division before moving up in weight, reiterated his desire to become a two-weight champion.
"My plan is to go to my home, maximum time with my family. I want to become not just world champion, but the undisputed world champion," he said.
Usyk took some heavy shots from the British veteran, who weighed almost 40lbs heavier than his opponent.
But the unbeaten man used his superior speed and movement to assume control around the halfway stage, wobbling Chisora in the seventh round, and was given the nod by two scores of 115-113 and one of 117-112 on the judges' scorecards.
Chisora felt he deserved to be given the win as he said: "I was pushing the pace, I gave a couple of rounds away but I was pushing the pace but the judges saw it a different way.
"I'm just disappointed with the result and I'm basically gutted."
Another former world champion, Carl Froch, was in agreement with Nelson who said Usyk was not guaranteed to rule the heavyweight division.
Froch said: "I think the pace and pressure of Anthony Joshua would pose problems; he lands more effective punches on the target."
