Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Lawrence Okolie has declared that he’s prepared to journey to Bournemouth to combat Chris Billam-Smith in his hometown’s soccer stadium on Could 27.

World champions do not usually name out potential challengers, however Okolie, the WBO cruiserweight titlist, has publicly thrown down the gauntlet to his British rival.

Billam-Smith has a date set for his subsequent combat, Could 27, and the 15,000-seat capability Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth booked however his opponent is but to be confirmed.

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Highlights of Lawrence Okolie towards David Mild because the Brit retained his WBO world cruiserweight title in Manchester

Though Okolie solely fought on Saturday, dominating David Mild to take a unanimous determination on the Manchester Enviornment, he’s prepared to field Billam-Smith in two months’ time.

“I obtained out the ring after 12 rounds, I have been out of the ring for a 12 months,” Okolie instructed Sky Sports activities. “I am nonetheless sore. However that stadium combat’s there. Are you up for it? Completely, I’ll come to Bournemouth, carry my world title down.”

He factors out he’s providing Billam-Smith, a former gym-mate and sparring accomplice, an “superb alternative to field in his hometown, with tens of hundreds of followers, for a world title”, and Okolie would take “an enormous deduction at my finish. Huge. Simply that will help you with the chance”.

“On the subject of truly saying sure to a combat, I am up for it,” he continued.

“To field in another person’s hometown, give them their dream evening and I am nonetheless ready for a sure. Is not that weird to you?

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Johnny Nelson says world cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie must develop his abilities additional if he desires to maintain maintain of his WBO title

“I am up for it. We’ll discover out. I used to be ‘weak’ in my final combat. Was it ringrust? Am I simply [bad]? We’ll have to attend and see for Could, in the event that they take it.

“It is weird. ‘He is garbage, he is boring…’ Then expose me. Expose me and say sure. All I ever hear is quickly and blah, blah, blah. I do not know what everybody’s ready for.”

Okolie has opened the door for his British rivals to get the combat with him. London’s Richard Riakporhe could be one other interesting challenger.

“Chris Billam[-Smith], British, Commonwealth and European [titles], he is completed the steps. Riakporhe [has] profile versus truly completed something within the final little interval. So these fights have worth in that approach,” Okolie mentioned.

“However by way of precise legacy, boxing unifications all the time supersede British home combat.”

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Highlights of the principle occasion combat between Chris Billam-Smith and Armend Xhoxhaj on the Bournemouth Worldwide Centre

Okolie although would put his personal ambitions of unifying world titles on maintain to make the fights with Billam-Smith or Riakporhe, “for me to only present individuals it isn’t shut between me and these guys. However solely time will inform.”

“I am simply fully flabbergasted by all these guys, why somebody would not say, ‘Sure, subsequent, he is [rubbish] I will [mess] him up.’ Why is nobody saying that?

“I can not think about being a 32-year-old, 33-year-old, with all this ambition, just a few years left in boxing, you have obtained a champion in your nation that is saying you do not even should be obligatory.

“You do not even should be obligatory. You are a tricky combat however I am going to nonetheless take it. Let’s do it. And also you’re ‘umming and ahhing’.

“What’s going on?”

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By Admin

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