Okolie vs Billam-Smith: On Saturday, Lawrence Okolie plans to give Chris Billam-Smith a reminder of his terrifying punching power.
At the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, Okolie will defend his WBO cruiserweight championship against Billam-Smith, a former sparring partner turned adversary.
After being barred from the ring for over a year, he beat mandatory challenger David Light in March after overcoming ring rust over the course of 12 rounds.
Prior to that, he had defeated raiding Pole Michal Cieslak, who had only last month destroyed Frenchman Dylan Bregeon in a 12-round fight to claim the European championship.
Okolie referred to Cieslak as “a monster.” powerful as hell.
“What he would do to a person who is not on the same level as me. Chris’ long-term companion was the one he stopped.
“He’s the first guy I gripped and told, ‘No, today’s not going to be my day to pummelled him.’
“I’m hoping he’s a tougher fight than Chris.”
As a result, Okolie hasn’t achieved a knockout victory since roughhousing Dilan Prasovic in 2021.
But he wants to show off the type of forceful striking that allowed him to knock out seven opponents in a row to go from the British championship to his WBO title, including European, Commonwealth, and previous world champions.
Okolie is a powerful cruiserweight with a height of six feet five inches. As Billam-Smith tries to pressure him, he is convinced that he will find opportunities for those shots.
“Chris fights in an all-action manner. As the local fighter, he will have a lot of pressure and have 15,000 supporters cheering for him in the hopes of unseating me,” according to Okolie, who spoke to Sky Sports News.
“He’s going to make it very simple for me, so I’m going to have to be devastating.”
Okolie believes he is taking the proper steps to go back to his best.
“Being active is usually a good idea,” according to Okolie. “Momentum is a huge factor in boxing.
“I had been away from the ring for a while, but I was able to return, complete 12 rounds, shake off a lot of ringrust, and return to training camp. So soon after, I have another chance to challenge myself.”
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