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Home » Lawrence Okolie defection from Matchroom to BOXXER confirmed

Lawrence Okolie defection from Matchroom to BOXXER confirmed

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Lawrence Okolie’s defection from Matchroom Boxing to BOXXER is confirmed for March 25 in Manchester, live on Sky Sports.

Okolie left Eddie Hearn under a cloud with legal repercussions but is finally ready to continue his career after a year out.

After BOXXER successfully agreed to the purse bid, Okolie’s return was moved from Liverpool to their North-West rivals.

Hearn had been planning a Liverpool show with Okolie joining Callum Smith. However, those plans changed.

Now that his future is sorted, and with a new trainer [Sugarhill Steward] in tow, ‘The Sauce’ has delivered a confident prediction.

He defends his WBO cruiserweight title defense against mandatory challenger David Light.

The undefeated Brit believes he will extend his perfect 18-0 (14 KOs) professional record when he defends his WBO championship against unbeaten New Zealand rival Light (20-0, 12 KOs).

Lawrence Okolie joins BOXXER and Sky

“I’ll make ‘light’ work of him,” said Okolie. “I know that Sky and BOXXER will deliver as long as I deliver in the ring.

“I’ve got to make sure I beat David Light and then beat whoever is next.

“It’s good to be back. I’m looking forward to the first step in the journey toward unifications and more world titles.”

New promoter Ben-Shalom, added: “We’re heading back to our spiritual home of Manchester. We’re bringing The Sauce.

“Lawrence Okolie’s wait to get back inside a ring has been well documented. But I’m delighted to see a proper British elite fighter defending his world title on home soil.

“The cruiserweight division is arguably the most exciting weight class in the sport right now. It is full of domestic stars who are clamoring to be crowned king.

“Lawrence sits at the top of that mountain. He’s planning on keeping it that way when he takes on a dangerous challenger in David Light, who impressively bested Brandon Glanton last time.”

Okolie’s first professional victory was in Manchester in May 2017 under Hearn. It came less than a year after he competed for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

He sensationally stopped Geoffrey Cave in just 20 seconds at the venue. Okolie has since won a world title. He will retain his world title in his third defense since he captured the belt back in March 2021 following a scintillating sixth-round stoppage over Krzysztof Glowacki.

Okolie knows he needs to deliver the goods against his Kiwi nemesis.

Jack Catterall and Frazer Clarke provide the supporting cast.

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