Lawrence Okolie

Lawrence Okolie
Statistics
Real name Lawrence Okolie[1]
Nickname(s) The Sauce
Weight(s) Cruiserweight
Height 6 ft 5 in (1.95 m)
Reach 82 1⁄2 in (210 cm)
Nationality British
Born (1992-12-16) 16 December 1992
Hackney, London, England
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 10
Wins 10
Wins by KO 7
Losses 0

Lawrence Okolie (born 16 December 1992) is a British professional boxer. He has held the WBA Continental cruiserweight title since February 2018 and the British cruiserweight title since September 2018. He previously held the Commonwealth title in 2018.

Amateur career

Okolie is from Hackney, London and attended Stoke Newington School. He was selected for Team GB in 2016 Rio Olympics.[2][3] Fighting as a heavyweight, he beat Igor Pawel Jakubowski from Poland on points in the Preliminary Round of the Rio Olympics. He then lost to Erislandy Savon of Cuba.

Professional career

Early career

On 18 January 2017, Okolie announced he was becoming a professional boxer, signing with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport and compete in the cruiserweight division.

His first professional fight took place at the Manchester Arena in Manchester on 25 March 2017. It was on undercard of the world lightweight championship fight Jorge Linares vs. Anthony Crolla. 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.[4][5] His next bout took place in Glasgow, Scotland at The SSE Hydro on 15 April as part of the undercard of the world super lightweight unification fight Ricky Burns vs. Julius Indongo. He fought 35 year old Polish journeyman Lukasz Rusiewicz.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10][11]

Okolie fought on the Brook-Spence Jr. IBF world title undercard at Bramall Lane in Sheffield on 27 May and knocked out Czech boxer Rudolf Helesic in the first round. Helesic was knocked down twice prior to the stoppage.[12] 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.[13]

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.[14] Okolie went the 6 round distance for the first time in his career against Blaise Mendouo. He lost one round on the referee scorecard, winning 59-54. Okolie was also taken past the first round for the first time in his professional career. In round 4, Mendouo was dropped following a big right hand. Okolie spoke to Sky Sports following the win and spoke 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."[15] 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.[16]

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 Portuguese boxer 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."[17]

On 19 December, Sky Sports confirmed Okolie would fight London rival Isaac Chamberlain on 3 February 2018 at the 02 Arena. The fighters had been calling each other out on social media over the months before the fight was finally signed.[18] In January 2018, the WBA sanctioned the fight for their vacant Continental cruiserweight title.[19] In front of 8,000 fans in attendance, Okolie scored a quick knockdown in the opening round, en route to dominant one-sided unanimous decision win over Chamberlain and won the vacant WBA Continental title. In round 2, after being warned a number of times, Chamberlain was docked a point for continuous holding. In round 6, 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 9. After 10 rounds, all three judges scored the fight 98-89, 96-90 and 97-89 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.[20][21] The card averaged 230,000 viewers on Sky Sports.[22]

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.[23] Nine days later, the Swindon Advertiser reported that Okolie's promoter Hearn had given the bout a green light to go ahead.[24] On 26 April, a deal had been agreed for the fight to take place on Wednesday 6 June at the York Hall in London.[25] 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, promoter 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.[26][27]

Okolie vs. Askin

On 12 July 2018, the 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.[28] 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.[29][30] In what was described as an 'ugly fight', Okolie defeated Askin via unanimous decision to claim the British cruiserweight belt. 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.[31][32][33]

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
10 fights 10 wins 0 losses
By knockout 7 0
By decision 3 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
10 Win 10–0 United Kingdom Matty Askin UD 12 22 Sep 2018 United Kingdom Wembley Stadium, London, England Retained WBA Continental (Europe) cruiserweight title;
Won British cruiserweight title
9 Win 9–0 United Kingdom Luke Watkins TKO 3 (12), 1:40 6 Jun 2018 United Kingdom York Hall, London, England Retained WBA Continental (Europe) cruiserweight title;
Won Commonwealth cruiserweight title
8 Win 8–0 United Kingdom Isaac Chamberlain UD 10 3 Feb 2018 United Kingdom O2 Arena, London, England Won vacant WBA Continental (Europe) cruiserweight title
7 Win 7–0 Portugal Antonio Sousa TKO 2 (6), 1:04 13 Dec 2017 United Kingdom York Hall, London, England
6 Win 6–0 United Kingdom Adam Williams TKO 3 (6), 2:30 28 Oct 2017 United Kingdom Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
5 Win 5–0 Cameroon Blaise Mendouo PTS 6 1 Sep 2017 United Kingdom York Hall, London, England
4 Win 4–0 United Kingdom Russell Henshaw TKO 1 (6), 2:10 1 July 2017 United Kingdom O2 Arena, London, England
3 Win 3–0 Czech Republic Rudolf Helesic TKO 1 (4), 1:10 27 May 2017 United Kingdom Bramall Lane, Sheffield, England
2 Win 2–0 Poland Lukasz Rusiewicz TKO 1 (4), 2:36 15 Apr 2017 United Kingdom The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
1 Win 1–0 United Kingdom Geoffrey Cave KO 1 (4), 0:20 25 Mar 2017 United Kingdom Manchester Arena, Manchester, England Professional debut

References

  1. ↑ "UEL's Okolie books Olympic spot". Newham Recorder. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  2. ↑ "2016 Rio Olympics: Lawrence Okolie Qualifies". The Premium Herald. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  3. ↑ "Olympic boxing: Anthony Fowler qualifies for Rio 2016". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  4. ↑ "Lawrence Okolie Blows Out Debut Opponent In 20 Seconds - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  5. ↑ Boxing N Banter TV (2017-03-27), Explosive 20 second KO Lawrence Okolie vs Geoffrey Cave, retrieved 2017-05-01
  6. ↑ "Lawrence Okolie vs. Lukasz Rusiewicz Set For Burns-Indongo - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  7. ↑ March 15, 2017. "Lawrence Okolie stops Lukasz Rusiewicz inside the first round in Glasgow". Sky Sports. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko: GB Olympians added to Wembley card". BBC Sport. 2017-04-07. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  9. ↑ "Joshua-Klitschko: Lawrence Okolie To Face Russ Henshaw - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  10. ↑ "Lawrence Okolie WILL NOT Box On Joshua-Klitschko - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  11. ↑ Whaley, Len. "Bitter-sweet night for Okolie at Wembley Stadium". Newham Recorder. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  12. ↑ "Brook vs Spence Jr: Anthony Fowler, Lawrence Okolie, Joe Cordina remain unbeaten". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  13. ↑ "Buglioni vs Summers: Lawrence Okolie claims a fourth straight knockout win in the first round". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  14. ↑ "NXTGEN: Joshua Buatsi, Lawrence Okolie and Joe Cordina feature on stacked London bill this Friday". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  15. ↑ "NXTGEN: Lawrence Okolie goes the distance as he outpoints Blaise Mendouo". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  16. ↑ "Joshua vs Takam: Lawrence Okolie claims destructive stoppage victory over Adam Williams". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  17. ↑ "Taylor vs McCaskill: Lawrence Okolie stops Antonio Sousa at York Hall". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  18. ↑ "Okolie vs Chamberlain: Lawrence Okolie and Isaac Chamberlain to fight at O2 Arena on February 3". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  19. ↑ "Okolie vs Chamberlain: WBA Continental cruiserweight title at stake". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  20. ↑ "Okolie vs Chamberlain: Lawrence Okolie completes dominant points win over Isaac Chamberlain". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  21. ↑ "Okolie outpoints Chamberlain, fails to shine". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  22. ↑ "Weekly top 10 programmes | BARB". www.barb.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  23. ↑ "He'll ask nicely, but Luke Watkins wants a war with Lawrence Okolie - Boxing News". Boxing News. 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  24. ↑ "Watkins secures Okolie fight". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  25. ↑ "Luke Watkins vs. Lawrence Okolie - Deal Agreed For The Fight". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  26. ↑ "Lawrence Okolie Blasts Out Luke Watkins, Adds Commonwealth". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  27. ↑ "Watkins vs Okolie: Lawrence Okolie claims Commonwealth title with knockout of Luke Watkins". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  28. ↑ "Lawrence Okolie gets British title shot at champion Matty Askin | British Boxing News". britishboxingnews.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  29. ↑ "Joshua vs Povetkin: Lawrence Okolie challenges Matty Askin for British title at Wembley Stadium". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  30. ↑ "Matty Askin vs. Lawrence Okolie Set For Joshua-Poevtkin". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  31. ↑ "Lawrence Okolie Decisions Matty Askin in Very Ugly Fight". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  32. ↑ "Joshua vs Povetkin: Lawrence Okolie claims British belt after ugly points win over Matty Askin". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  33. ↑ "Campbell earns title fight; Okolie wins U.K. belt". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Maxim Vlasov		 WBA Continental cruiserweight champion
3 February 2018 – present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Luke Watkins		 Commonwealth cruiserweight champion
6 June 2018 – 2 August 2018		 Vacant
Preceded by
Matty Askin		 British cruiserweight champion
22 September 2018 – present		 Incumbent
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