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At a packed crowd in Bournemouth, Chris Billiam-Smith dethroned Lawrence Okolie to win the WBO Cruiserweight title.
Okolie held on in the final rounds to and had a point deducted for holding as the fight came to an end.
On Sunday, May 28, 2023, Lawrence Okolie, a British boxer of Nigerian ancestry, saw his two-year reign as WBO cruiserweight champion come to an end.
At the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England, Okolie lost to voluntary challenger Chris Billiam-Smith by a twelve-round unanimous decision.
The 6'5" Okolie gave up his height and reach, attempting to hold the 32-year-old Billiam-Smith.
Due to Okolie's frequent clinching, the shorter 5'11" Billiam-Smith knocked him out three times, once each in rounds four, ten, and eleven.
In addition, Okolie was docked two points for holding in rounds 5 and 7, which proved crucial on the scorecards following the contest.
After twelve rounds of boxing, the judges' scores were 112-112, 116-107, and 115-108.
According to reports, Okolie has already made the decision to exercise his rematch clause against Billiam-Smith in an effort to exact revenge for the defeat.
Chris Billiam-Smith on Okolie
After the bout, Chris Billiam-Smith admitted to Sky Sports Boxing that he had been unwell for days prior to taking on Okolie.
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He said, “It wasn’t the most entertaining fight, but I believe I did enough to win it.
“I was sick in bed a week. I didn’t eat from Tuesday to Thursday. It was easy making weight.”
Okolie after defeating David Light who was his mandatory could have gone for a title unification but chose to take on Billiam-Smith and has now lost the WBO belt.
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