Lawrence Okolie loses WBO Cruiserweight title to Chris Billiam-Smith

Okolie held on in the final rounds to and had a point deducted for holding as the fight came to an end.

On Sunday, May 28, 2023, Lawrence Okolie, a British boxer of Nigerian ancestry, saw his two-year reign as WBO cruiserweight champion come to an end.

At the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England, Okolie lost to voluntary challenger Chris Billiam-Smith by a twelve-round unanimous decision.

The 6'5" Okolie gave up his height and reach, attempting to hold the 32-year-old Billiam-Smith.

Due to Okolie's frequent clinching, the shorter 5'11" Billiam-Smith knocked him out three times, once each in rounds four, ten, and eleven. 

In addition, Okolie was docked two points for holding in rounds 5 and 7, which proved crucial on the scorecards following the contest.

After twelve rounds of boxing, the judges' scores were 112-112, 116-107, and 115-108.

According to reports, Okolie has already made the decision to exercise his rematch clause against Billiam-Smith in an effort to exact revenge for the defeat.

After the bout, Chris Billiam-Smith admitted to Sky Sports Boxing that he had been unwell for days prior to taking on Okolie.

He said, “It wasn’t the most entertaining fight, but I believe I did enough to win it.

“I was sick in bed a week. I didn’t eat from Tuesday to Thursday. It was easy making weight.”

Okolie after defeating David Light who was his mandatory could have gone for a title unification but chose to take on Billiam-Smith and has now lost the WBO belt.