Lawrence Okolie Dominates in Heavyweight Opener

Lawrence Okolie made an impressive debut in the heavyweight division, scoring a first-round knockout over Hussein Muhamed at Wembley’s OVO Arena. Okolie, the former cruiserweight world champion, landed a perfectly timed counter-right hand that sent Muhamed to the canvas with just 46 seconds remaining in the round. Although Muhamed, who had only one previous loss like Okolie managed to get up at the count of eight, he was clearly outmatched.

Consequently, the referee stopped the fight as Muhamed stumbled toward him, unable to continue. After the win, Lawrence Okolie confidently declared, “As soon as I hit them, they start going. I’m ready for the best in the world.” The 31-year-old fighter, who stepped up to heavyweight after losing his WBO cruiserweight title to Chris Billam-Smith had previously won the WBC bridgerweight title in May. He weighed in at a hefty 18st 6lb which was over four stone heavier than his previous weight.

Okolie expressed satisfaction with his new weight, stating that he felt more explosive and able to recover between rounds. Meanwhile, in the main event, Denzel Bentley secured the British and European middleweight titles by outpointing Brad Pauls in a hard-fought battle. Bentley dropped Pauls with a jab in the 10th round and earned the win unanimously across all three judges’ scorecards. As a result, Bentley remains the number one contender for WBO champion Janibek Alimkhanuly after losing to him in 2022.

Additionally, David Adeleye impressed with a stunning first-round knockout of Solomon Dacres. Adeleye’s powerful left hook at 1:20 of the round sent Dacres crashing to the ropes and to the canvas, making a strong statement to other British heavyweights. Meanwhile, British lightweight champion Sam Noakes continued his undefeated streak with a dominant victory over Ryan Walsh.