Lawrence Okolie may have won dominantly in Manchester on Saturday night. However, he lost a lot of support after another snoozefest.
The British cruiserweight world titleholder defeated David Light in a scrappy performance. But the way he got the win had fans turning off in their droves.
It was a painful fight to watch. And on this evidence, Okolie will be a tough sell to anyone in the future. The card was broadcast in the USA too, which wouldn’t have adhered the Londoner to a stateside audience.
Despite being out of the ring for over a year, Okolie won against his mandatory challenger on the scorecards. After twelve rounds of excruciating hugging and words from the referee Marcus McDonnell, Okolie got it 119-108, 117-110, and 116-112.
Adding a new trainer, SugarHill Steward has done nothing to quell the previous problems of Okolie failing to entertain.
Lawrence Okolie in another bore-fest
It’s happened far too often in his career to be a clash of styles again.
He used a pawing jab that stopped Light from getting into position to land damaging shots. When Light did get close, Okolie used effective short hooks from within the clinch and smothered work.
The resulting accumulation of stopping Light from working meant the challenger was running on fumes by the end of the fight. McDonnell gave a point deduction for Okolie in the eleventh round for his excessive grabbing and smothering.
Several chats with the pair failed to spark anything worth watching.
Okolie spoke to Sky Sports after the fight: “David Light was adamant, but there are no excuses, and we use it to get better.
“I hurt him in the second half of the fight. He danced around the ring away from me but had strong defenses and could survive.”
On his next fight, Okolie added: “I’ll fight anyone. If you think you’re good enough to beat me, meet me in the ring, and let’s fight.”
Despite having big plans to face anyone, Okolie has serious work to do in his style. It may be effective, but it’s not fan-friendly in the slightest.
This is the entertainment business. Lawrence Okolie has plenty to improve in those stakes.
Boxing fans clarified this to Okolie with responses to the drab win on social media. Plenty of heat came his way, and that needs addressing at the earliest opportunity.
Okolie vs Light televised Card Results:
Lawrence Okolie bt David Light. Unanimoius decision 119-109, 117-110, 116-112.
Frazer Clarke bt Bogdan Dinu. Retired round two (3:00)
Michael Gomez Jr bt Levi Giles. Split decision 97-93, 97-94, 95-96.
Karriss Artingstall bt Linzi Buczynski. Points 60-54.
Callum Simpson bt Celso Neves. Knockout round three at 1:36.
