Lawrence Okolie LOSES his WBO cruiserweight belt as he is dropped THREE times by Chris Billam-Smith and deducted two points in Bournemouth battering at the Vitality Stadium
- Lawrence Okolie has lost his WBO cruiserweight title against Chris Billam-Smith
- The underdog emerged victorious as he proved too much for Okolie to handle
- Okolie was knocked down three times in a convincing win for Billam-Smith
Lawrence Okolie endured a nightmare cruiserweight clash against Chris Billam-Smith at Bournemouth‘s Vitality Stadium on Saturday evening as he was knocked down three times, deducted two points, and surrendered his WBO title.
The Sauce was seeking to defend his belt against a local opponent who was well-supported but didn’t look likely of being able to cause any significant upset coming into the bout.
That quickly changed when the bell rang and Okolie, despite starting brightly, quickly found himself on the back-foot as he was knocked down in round four.
Billam-Smith had caught the defending Okolie with a right-hand and the fight was turned on its head.
The 30-year-old was stunned, he sought to hold on in the rounds that followed, first being warned, then deducted a point in the fifth for excessive holding and another point in the seventh.
Okolie (right) was knocked down three times by Billam-Smith during the encounter at the Vitality
He half-heartedly looked to fight back in the eighth before Billam-Smith really showcased his skills and went to town in the 10th and 11th.
The pair stood and exchanged blows in the former round with the younger fighter sending Okolie down to the canvas again.
As desperation grew in the Okolie camp he came out swinging in the next round but the same result followed as a bloodied and battling Billam-Smith again rocked and dropped his mroe experienced opponent.
Full fight report to follow.