Not many had predicted the fight to go all 12 rounds given the hard-hitting reputation of the pair, but both battled admirably to keep matters going up until the final bell.
Chisora received three counts during the fight and twice ended up outside the ropes, but managed to avoid getting knocked out by the Bronze Bomber's famed power.
However, the American still did enough to win the fight in the eyes of two of the judges (115-111, 115-113), with the other scoring it 115 to 112 in favour of the Brit.
"Derek is a warrior, he's a lion," Wilder told DAZN.
"I come to fight. A lot of people throw dirt on me, you can't throw dirt on somebody who's chosen. You witnessed what power, glory, and destiny is all about.
"I want to thank everybody that came out tonight. What a magnificent fight it was, I want to thank Derek.
"Tonight was very fun, I had a good time in the ring. Derek got a lot of good shots off but it was nothing to a king. It was a lot of fun, I had to heal but I'm back and going to get better every time. What a fun night."
Chisora had maintained in the build-up to the bout that he would retire after 50 fights, and Saturday night's defeat marked his half-century, winning 36 and losing 14. However, the 42-year-old did not go as far as confirming his retirement in the wake of his defeat.
"Some of the rounds were very close," Chisora told DAZN. "I came out the ropes, I don’t know why. If I didn’t come out the ropes, I’d have won that fight."
Asked if he has now retired, Chisora said: "I'm going to go home, do a school run. I’m going to say thank you very much. I know why I lost the fight. United Kingdom, I really appreciate you."