Boxing Live: George Groves, a former world champion, cautions Lawrence Okolie that Chris Billam-Smith is one of Britain’s “most improved” boxers despite the fact that he may have more strength and world-champion intelligence.
When Okolie defends his WBC cruiserweight championship against a local opponent in Bournemouth on Saturday night, the longtime training partners will exchange hundreds of rounds of practice matches for the real thing.
It happens barely two months after Okolie made his first appearance in the ring in a year and increased his unbeaten streak to 19-0 by defeating David Light in a unanimous decision.
Although there were no spectacular knockouts, it did serve as another reminder of the fighting style that has made Okolie one of the most challenging problems in boxing to resolve.
Former super-middleweight champion Groves told Sky Sports, “He’s very effective at what he does, he’s got tremendous punch power, equaliser punch power, but he’s also very strong.”
“Because he punches at such a great distance, people don’t want to be caught at the end of the punch with him.
David Light, a strong guy who took his lumps that night, sought to bridge the distance because of his height, reach, and natural punching strength. There are occasions when they do come together and there is a lot of tussling, but you can’t ignore how powerful Lawrence Okolie is on the inside.
“He can’t effectively punch on the inside or finish his good work because of his long arms. You don’t simply hold and wait for the referee to break you; instead, if you can tie the opponent up, take an angle, punch and slide, and then create that space, it will work more to your advantage. I’m sure the process will be marrying up how to work your way out of the close-range things to long-range punching.
“I think he still has the opportunity to grow there; that’s a work in progress, in my opinion. In essence, that’s what he excels at, and I believe people are astonished by just how powerful he is.”
Following a brutal fifth-round knockout victory against Armend Xhoxhaj in December, Billam-Smith enters the ring having survived an early scare after getting buzzed by the Kosovan’s powerful right hand.
The resounding affirmation was a credit to Billam-Smith’s improved performance today over earlier in his career.
Chris has made more progress than the other fighter, according to Groves. “He had more room to grow, but he’s come on a lot, one of the most improved fighters in Britain over the last few years,” Groves said.
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