Lawrence Okolie has always been a tough watch due to his boxing style. However, Saturday night was by far the most shocking performance of his career.
In a nutshell, it was a horror show.
Okolie’s tactics leave a lot to be desired for a big man who can box and bang. Trainer Sugarhill Steward has been unable to sway the British fighter from his first port of call – to grab his opponent for fear of being hit.
Now, you’d ask yourself, ‘Why would Lawrence Okolie want to be a boxer if he doesn’t want to get hit?” – And you’d be correct in that wondering.
Okolie knows he’s got a weak chin. Therefore, he’s done everything possible in his power to stop that from happening – no matter the cost.
Lawrence Okolie is hard to watch
Losing hoards of fans along the way, watching an Okolie fight has become a chore for many, so it proved to be at the Vitality Stadium against Chris Billam-Smith.
As soon as Okolie was timed coming in, he dropped to the canvas. It looked as though he wouldn’t get through the fourth round. It happened again at least two more times as Billam-Smith exposed the amateur star.
Judging by the loss, it’s commendable how Okolie even claimed a world title in the first place. The most frustrating thing about Okolie is that he can actually box when he puts it all together.
However, this weekend, he again met his match with referee Marcus McDonnell. In a similar style to Victor Loughlin when he fought Matty Askin, McDonnell had none of Okolie’s grabbing and spoiling.
It was apparent from very early on that Okolie could get disqualified, to the dismay of his coach.
Billam-Smith had to try to land that punch coming in, as he did, or wait for Okolie to spoil. Either way, he comes out the winner. Okolie needed a knockout the whole fight and didn’t want to engage enough to get it.
That tender jaw wouldn’t stand up to any pressure, and he knew it.
His only hope now is to invoke the rematch clause to go again. But Okolie and his team will know they need to get Billam-Smith out of Bournemouth to have a shot.
Who Needs Him Club
Beyond Billam-Smith, Okolie is firmly the leading member of the “Who Needs Him Club” and will have to look at some knock-overs in the heavyweight division if he cannot regain his title.
The sound advice for Okolie would be to do that now, get some KOs under his belt and shake off this tag he’s created for himself.
Speaking after the fight, Okolie was a gentleman to the end, which was hard to find fault with – in contrast to his performance.
The Londoner said to Sky Sports: “I accept the decision. He did great work there. He got a knockdown that changed the fight’s momentum and did enough to win it.
“I can adapt to a loss and be back again.”
Follow experienced boxing writer Phil Jay on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
