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Lawrence Okolie

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Lawrence Okolie
Born (1992-12-16) 16 December 1992 (age 31)
Hackney, London, England
Other namesThe Sauce
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Reach82+1⁄2 in (210 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights21
Wins20
Wins by KO15
Losses1

Lawrence Okolie (born 16 December 1992) is a British professional boxer. He has held world championships in two weight classes, including the World Boxing Council (WBC) bridgerweight title from May 2024 to October 2024, and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) cruiserweight title from 2021 to 2023. At regional level, he held the Commonwealth title twice between 2018 and 2019; the British title from 2018 to 2019; and the European title in 2019.

Okolie is a supporter of BoxWise, a UK-based non-profit social enterprise based around boxing.[1]

Early life

Okolie was born in Hackney, London to Nigerian parents of Igbo descent. He grew up in Stoke Newington and attended Stoke Newington School. While watching Anthony Joshua fighting in the 2012 Summer Olympics super heavyweight final, Okolie decided to take boxing seriously and set a goal to make the 2016 Olympics. [2]

Amateur career

He represented Team GB as a heavyweight at the 2016 Rio Olympics.[3][4] He beat Igor Pawel Jakubowski from Poland on points and made it to the Round of 16, where he lost to eventual bronze medalist Erislandy Savón of Cuba.

Professional career

Early career

On 18 January 2017, Okolie announced his decision to turn professional, signing with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport to compete in the cruiserweight division.

His first professional fight took place at the Manchester Arena in Manchester on 25 March 2017. It was on the undercard for the Jorge Linares vs. Anthony Crolla lightweight world championship fight. His opponent was 33 year old Geoffrey Cave, who had a record of no wins and two losses. The fight lasted 20 seconds and ended after Okolie landed two right hooks to the head of Cave. The referee stopped the fight immediately.[5][6] His next bout took place in Glasgow, Scotland at The SSE Hydro on 15 April as part of the undercard for the world Ricky Burns vs. Julius Indongo super lightweight unification fight. He fought 35 year old journeyman Lukasz Rusiewicz.[7] Okolie knocked Rusiewicz down twice in round one en route to a first-round stoppage. The time of stoppage was 2 minutes and 36 seconds.[8]

Okolie was scheduled to fight on the undercard of the mega heavyweight fight Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko on 29 April at the Wembley Stadium in London.[9] On 25 April, it was announced that he would fight Russell Henshaw (7–4, 2 KOs), who he was supposed to fight on his debut.[10] On the night, Okolie tweeted that he would no longer be fighting on the undercard. The reason for this was due to Wembley council having a curfew of 11:00pm and the main event was due to start at 10:00pm. The other fights on the undercard went longer than expected.[11][12]

Okolie fought on the Kell Brook vs. Errol Spence Jr. IBF world title undercard at Bramall Lane in Sheffield on 27 May, defeating Rudolf Helesic in the first round. Helesic was knocked down twice prior to the stoppage.[13] On 1 July, Okolie recorded his fourth straight first-round stoppage win against Russell Henshaw. The fight was stopped after 2 minutes and 10 seconds into the round.[14]

It was announced that Okolie would appear on the NXTGEN card on 1 September 2017, at the York Hall in London. Other prospects on the card included Conor Benn and fellow Olympians Joshua Buatsi and Joe Cordina.[15] Okolie went the six-round distance for the first time in his career against Blaise Mendouo. He lost one round on the referee's scorecard, winning 59–54. Okolie was also taken past the first round for the first time in his professional career. In round four, Mendouo was dropped by a big right hand. Following the win, Okolie spoke to Sky Sports about going the distance, "It was useful to go the rounds, but was tough against an awkward opponent. It was a little bit scrappy, I couldn't get the rhythm of my opponent. I knew that this guy would be a lot more difficult than some of the other cruiserweight prospects."[16] Okolie next fought on 28 October on the Anthony Joshua vs. Carlos Takam undercard at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. His opponent was 36 year old Adam Williams. Okolie stopped Williams in the third round, extending his unbeaten record.[17]

Okolie vs Chamberlain

Okolie next fought on 13 December 2017, closing off his first year as a professional at the York Hall in London. His opponent was Antonio Sousa in a six-round bout. Starting off with a stiff jab, Okolie dropped Sousa twice in round one and twice in round two before the referee stepped in at 1 minute and 4 seconds. After the fight, speaking on rival Isaac Chamberlain, he said, "He and Ted Bami are two cowards! He's calling me his easiest fight, he's saying stuff online. Here's the fight in February, let's go."[18]

On 19 December, Sky Sports confirmed Okolie would fight Chamberlain on 3 February 2018 at The O2 Arena. The fighters had been calling each other out on social media over the months before the fight was finally signed.[19] In January 2018, the WBA sanctioned the fight for their vacant Continental cruiserweight title.[20] In front of 8,000 fans in attendance, Okolie scored a quick knockdown in the opening round, en route to a dominant one-sided unanimous decision (UD) win to capture the vacant WBA Continental title. In round two, after being warned a number of times, Chamberlain was docked a point for continuous holding. In round six, Okolie landed a right hand to Chamberlain, forcing his glove to touch the canvas for a second knockdown. Okolie also had a point deducted in round nine. After ten rounds, the judges scorecards read 98–89, 97–89 and 96–90 in favour of Okolie. After the fight, Okolie called out Welsh boxer Craig Kennedy (16–1, 8 KOs) for a fight on the Anthony Joshua vs. Joseph Parker undercard.[21][22] The card averaged 230,000 viewers on Sky Sports.[23]

Okolie vs Watkins

On 16 April 2018, Commonwealth cruiserweight champion Luke Watkins (13–0, 9 KOs) called out Okolie for a fight in the future.[24] Nine days later, the Swindon Advertiser reported that Okolie's promoter, Eddie Hearn, had given the bout the green light to go ahead.[25] On 26 April, a deal had been agreed for the fight to take place on 6 June at the York Hall in London.[26] Okolie dropped Watkins twice on his way to a third-round stoppage victory. Referee Michael Alexander stopped the fight at 1 minute 40 seconds of the round. After the bout, Hearn stated the Commonwealth mandatory challenger, Wadi Camacho (20–7, 12 KOs), would likely be Okolie's only title defence before moving on to the British and European titles.[27][28]

Okolie vs Askin

On 12 July 2018, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) ordered for Matty Askin (23–3–1, 15 KOs) to make a mandatory defence of his British cruiserweight title against Okolie by the end of November 2018. A purse bid was set for 8 August.[29] On 7 August, Eddie Hearn announced the fight was confirmed and would take place on the Anthony Joshua vs. Alexander Povetkin undercard on 22 September at the Wembley Stadium in London on Sky Sports Box Office. Prior to the fight being made, Okolie vacated the Commonwealth cruiserweight title.[30][31] In what was described as an 'ugly fight', Okolie defeated Askin via UD to claim the British cruiserweight title. The final scorecards read 116–110, 114–112 and 114–113 in Okolie's favour. Okolie lost a total of three points in fouls. During the middle rounds there was a lot of holding and wrestling. Okolie began using his head on the inside which resulted in him losing points.[32][33][34]

Okolie vs Ngabu

On 26 October 2019 Okolie fought Yves Ngabu, ranked #9 by the IBF, #12 by the WBO and #13 by the WBA at cruiserweight. Okolie won the fight via seventh-round TKO.[35]

WBO cruiserweight champion

Okolie vs Jeżewski, Głowacki

At the WBO federation convention in Tokyo in December 2019, it was decided that the Polish former two-time cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Głowacki would face Okolie for the vacant WBO cruiserweight title, and a bout between them was ordered.[36] They had been scheduled to face each other on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev on 12 December 2020, but the fight was postponed when Głowacki tested positive for COVID-19.[37] As a result, Okolie instead faced Nikodem Jeżewski, also from Poland, and he won via second-round technical knockout after dropping Jeżewski three times, winning the vacant WBO International cruiserweight title.[38]

The Okolie vs Głowacki world title bout was rescheduled for 20 March 2021, and was won by Okolie via sixth-round knockout. Glowacki was ranked #1 by the WBO and #3 by The Ring at cruiserweight.[39] He conveyed his happiness at winning his first world title in his post-fight interview, saying "Obviously I'm happy, I feel blessed... It's amazing to be able to put an exclamation mark on my life with a world title." Okolie also revealed that his promoter Eddie Hearn had made a deal with him, promising to buy him a watch if he succeeded in becoming a world champion: "Four or five years ago, Eddie Hearn saw a boy from Hackney and said 'if you win a world title, I'll buy you a gold Rolex Sky Dweller'. Now I want my Sky Dweller. And he said I'd get another one if I unify, too!"[40]

Okolie vs Prašović

Okolie made the first defence of his WBO cruiserweight title against WBO's #1 contender[41] Dilan Prašović on 25 September 2021 on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk.[42] Okolie retained his title, winning by third-round knockout.[43]

Okolie vs Cieślak

It was announced on 7 January 2022, that Okolie would make his second WBO title defence against Michał Cieślak, who was at the time the #3 ranked WBO cruiserweight contender, on 27 February 2022.[44] Okolie was seen as the 1/9 favourite to retain his title, while bookmakers had Cieślak as the 9/2 underdog.[45] In a scrappy bout that featured a lot of grappling and rabbit punches, Okolie retained his world title with a unanimous decision victory, with judges' scorecards of 117–110, 116–111 and 115–112 in his favour.[46]

Okolie vs Billam-Smith

Okolie fought long-time friend Chris Billam-Smith at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth on 27 May 2023. The fight was marred by a succession of warnings and two points deducted for Okolie, for holding and grappling. Billam-Smith knocked Okolie down three times during the fight, and won a majority decision. Two judges scored the bout 116–107 and 115–108 in favour of Billam-Smith while the third judge scored it even at 112–112.[47]

WBC bridgerweight champion

Okolie vs. Rozanski

On 24 May 2024 in Rzeszow, Poland, Okolie challenged Łukasz Różański for the WBC bridgerweight title.[48] He won by knockout in the first round.[49][50]

Okolie vacated the title on 8 October 2024, stating he intended to move up to compete at heavyweight.[51][52] Later that month Okolie signed a promotional deal with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions having previously had spells on the books of both its main rivals, Boxxer and Matchroom Sport.[53][54]

Professional boxing record

21 fights 20 wins 1 loss
By knockout 15 0
By decision 5 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
21 Win 20–1 Łukasz Różański KO 1 (12), 2:55 24 May 2024 G2A Arena, Rzeszow, Poland Won WBC bridgerweight title
20 Loss 19–1 Chris Billam-Smith MD 12 27 May 2023 Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England Lost WBO cruiserweight title
19 Win 19–0 David Light UD 12 25 Mar 2023 AO Arena, Manchester, England Retained WBO cruiserweight title
18 Win 18–0 Michał Cieślak UD 12 27 Feb 2022 The O2 Arena, London, England Retained WBO cruiserweight title
17 Win 17–0 Dilan Prašović KO 3 (12), 1:57 25 Sep 2021 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England Retained WBO cruiserweight title
16 Win 16–0 Krzysztof Głowacki TKO 6 (12), 0:46 20 Mar 2021 The SSE Arena, London, England Won vacant WBO cruiserweight title
15 Win 15–0 Nikodem Jeżewski TKO 2 (12), 1:45 12 Dec 2020 The SSE Arena, London, England Won vacant WBO International cruiserweight title
14 Win 14–0 Yves Ngabu TKO 7 (12), 2:28 26 Oct 2019 The O2 Arena, London, England Won European cruiserweight title
13 Win 13–0 Mariano Angel Gudino TKO 7 (10), 2:59 20 Jul 2019 The O2 Arena, London, England Retained WBA Continental cruiserweight title
12 Win 12–0 Wadi Camacho TKO 4 (12), 2:00 23 Mar 2019 Copper Box Arena, London, England Retained British cruiserweight title;
Won Commonwealth cruiserweight title
11 Win 11–0 Tamas Lodi TKO 3 (10), 1:13 2 Feb 2019 The O2 Arena, London, England Retained WBA Continental cruiserweight title
10 Win 10–0 Matty Askin UD 12 22 Sep 2018 Wembley Stadium, London, England Won British cruiserweight title
9 Win 9–0 Luke Watkins TKO 3 (12), 1:40 6 Jun 2018 York Hall, London, England Retained WBA Continental cruiserweight title;
Won Commonwealth cruiserweight title
8 Win 8–0 Isaac Chamberlain UD 10 3 Feb 2018 The O2 Arena, London, England Won vacant WBA Continental cruiserweight title
7 Win 7–0 Antonio Sousa TKO 2 (6), 1:04 13 Dec 2017 York Hall, London, England
6 Win 6–0 Adam Williams TKO 3 (6), 2:30 28 Oct 2017 Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
5 Win 5–0 Blaise Mendouo PTS 6 1 Sep 2017 York Hall, London, England
4 Win 4–0 Russell Henshaw TKO 1 (6), 2:10 1 Jul 2017 The O2 Arena, London, England
3 Win 3–0 Rudolf Helesic TKO 1 (4), 1:10 27 May 2017 Bramall Lane, Sheffield, England
2 Win 2–0 Lukasz Rusiewicz TKO 1 (4), 2:36 15 Apr 2017 The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
1 Win 1–0 Geoffrey Cave KO 1 (4), 0:20 25 Mar 2017 Manchester Arena, Manchester, England

See also

References

  1. ^ Dennen, John (28 December 2021). "Boxwise - 'This is about helping the most vulnerable'". Boxing News. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  2. ^ "A moment that changed me: I was unfit and flipping burgers when I decided to win the Olympics". The Guardian. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  3. ^ "2016 Rio Olympics: Lawrence Okolie Qualifies". The Premium Herald. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Olympic boxing: Anthony Fowler qualifies for Rio 2016". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Lawrence Okolie Blows Out Debut Opponent In 20 Seconds – Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  6. ^ Boxing N Banter TV (27 March 2017), Explosive 20 second KO Lawrence Okolie vs Geoffrey Cave, retrieved 1 May 2017
  7. ^ "Lawrence Okolie vs. Lukasz Rusiewicz Set For Burns-Indongo – Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  8. ^ March 15, 2017. "Lawrence Okolie stops Lukasz Rusiewicz inside the first round in Glasgow". Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko: GB Olympians added to Wembley card". BBC Sport. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  10. ^ "Joshua-Klitschko: Lawrence Okolie To Face Russ Henshaw – Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  11. ^ "Lawrence Okolie WILL NOT Box On Joshua-Klitschko – Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  12. ^ Whaley, Len. "Bitter-sweet night for Okolie at Wembley Stadium". Newham Recorder. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Brook vs Spence Jr: Anthony Fowler, Lawrence Okolie, Joe Cordina remain unbeaten". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  14. ^ "Buglioni vs Summers: Lawrence Okolie claims a fourth straight knockout win in the first round". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  15. ^ "NXTGEN: Joshua Buatsi, Lawrence Okolie and Joe Cordina feature on stacked London bill this Friday". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  16. ^ "NXTGEN: Lawrence Okolie goes the distance as he outpoints Blaise Mendouo". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Joshua vs Takam: Lawrence Okolie claims destructive stoppage victory over Adam Williams". Sky Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  18. ^ "Taylor vs McCaskill: Lawrence Okolie stops Antonio Sousa at York Hall". Sky Sports. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  19. ^ "Okolie vs Chamberlain: Lawrence Okolie and Isaac Chamberlain to fight at O2 Arena on February 3". Sky Sports. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  20. ^ "Okolie vs Chamberlain: WBA Continental cruiserweight title at stake". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  21. ^ "Okolie vs Chamberlain: Lawrence Okolie completes dominant points win over Isaac Chamberlain". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  22. ^ "Okolie outpoints Chamberlain, fails to shine". ESPN. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  23. ^ "Weekly top 10 programmes | BARB". www.barb.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  24. ^ "He'll ask nicely, but Luke Watkins wants a war with Lawrence Okolie – Boxing News". Boxing News. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  25. ^ "Watkins secures Okolie fight". Swindon Advertiser. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  26. ^ "Luke Watkins vs. Lawrence Okolie – Deal Agreed For The Fight". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  27. ^ "Lawrence Okolie Blasts Out Luke Watkins, Adds Commonwealth". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  28. ^ "Watkins vs Okolie: Lawrence Okolie claims Commonwealth title with knockout of Luke Watkins". Sky Sports. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  29. ^ "Lawrence Okolie gets British title shot at champion Matty Askin | British Boxing News". britishboxingnews.co.uk. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  30. ^ "Joshua vs Povetkin: Lawrence Okolie challenges Matty Askin for British title at Wembley Stadium". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  31. ^ "Matty Askin vs. Lawrence Okolie Set For Joshua-Poevtkin". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  32. ^ "Lawrence Okolie Decisions Matty Askin in Very Ugly Fight". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  33. ^ "Joshua vs Povetkin: Lawrence Okolie claims British belt after ugly points win over Matty Askin". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  34. ^ "Campbell earns title fight; Okolie wins U.K. belt". ESPN. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  35. ^ "Ngabu vs Okolie – News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  36. ^ Donovan, Jake (5 December 2019). "Glowacki-Okolie: WBO To Order Vacant Cruiserweight Title Fight". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  37. ^ "Joshua vs Pulev: Lawrence Okolie fight off as Krzysztof Glowacki tests positive for Covid-19". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  38. ^ Lewis, Ron (12 December 2020). "Lawrence Okolie Destroys Nikodem Jezewski in Two Rounds". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  39. ^ "Okolie vs Glowacki – News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  40. ^ "Lawrence Okolie vs. Krzysztof Glowacki: Okolie wins his first world title in emphatic fashion | DAZN News UK". DAZN. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  41. ^ "Okolie vs Prasovic – News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  42. ^ "Lawrence Okolie vs. Dilan Prasovic added to Sept.25th Joshua – Usyk card, Callum Smith possible ⋆ Boxing News 24". Boxing News 24. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  43. ^ "Okolie smashes Prasovic in three". Fightnews.com. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  44. ^ O'Hara, Ryan (7 January 2022). "Lawrence Okolie to defend WBO cruiser title against Michal Cieslak on February 27". ringtv.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  45. ^ Gorrie, Jonathan (27 February 2022). "Okolie vs Cieslak: Fight time, undercard, prediction, odds and more". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  46. ^ "Okolie retains world title on points". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  47. ^ "Billam-Smith dethrones Okolie to win world title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  48. ^ Iskenderov, Parviz (22 March 2024). "Lawrence Okolie challenges Lukasz Rozanski in May in Poland". FIGHTMAG.
  49. ^ "Lawrence Okolie knocks out Lukasz Rozanski in first round to become WBC bridgerweight world champion". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  50. ^ "Lawrence Okolie Batters Hapless Lukasz Rozansky In First-Round Win". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  51. ^ "Lawrence Okolie requests heavyweight ranking after relinquishing WBC bridgerweight title". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  52. ^ "Lawrence Okolie Vacates WBC Bridgerweight Title, Will Now Campaign At Heavyweight". The Ring. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  53. ^ "Ex-world champion Okolie signs with Queensberry". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  54. ^ "Lawrence Okolie joins forces with Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Maxim Vlasov 		WBA Continental (Europe)
cruiserweight champion
3 February 2018 – 2020
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Chris Billam-Smith
Preceded by Commonwealth cruiserweight champion
6 June 2018 – 2 August 2018
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Wadi Camacho
Preceded by British cruiserweight champion
22 September 2018 – 12 September 2019
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Richard Riakporhe
Preceded by
Wadi Camacho
 Commonwealth cruiserweight champion
23 March 2019 – 12 September 2019
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Chris Billam-Smith
Preceded by European cruiserweight champion
26 October 2019 – December 2019
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Tommy McCarthy
Vacant
Title last held by
Artur Mann 		WBO International
cruiserweight champion
12 December 2020 – 20 March 2021
Won world title 		Vacant
World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Mairis Briedis 		WBO cruiserweight champion
20 March 2021 – 27 May 2023 		Succeeded by
Chris Billam-Smith
Preceded by WBC bridgerweight champion
24 May 2024 – 8 October 2024
Vacated 		Succeeded by
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