Lawrence Okolie has successfully defended his WBO cruiserweight title with a points victory over David Light in Manchester.
In his first fight since leaving Matchroom for Boxxer, Okolie had wanted to make a statement ahead of potential domestic clashes and unification bouts.
While Okolie was never in any real danger of not extending his professional winning streak to 19 fights, his performance did little to excite the crowd.
Okolie was fighting under SugarHill Steward, the trainer of Tyson Fury, for the first time, something which may have left the 2016 Olympian caught between styles.
Nevertheless, despite landing numerous clean shots on a game Light, Okolie was quick to hold when on the defensive, contributing to the encounter becoming a poor spectacle.
A HUGE right hand hurts David Light! 😱#OkolieLight | @boxxer pic.twitter.com/kd9eEOOkga
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) March 25, 2023
Okolie's best rounds were the 10th and 11th, the Londoner catching Light with several hurtful shots in quick succession, yet he had to be content with a 116-112, 119-108 and 117-110 verdict with the judges.
On the undercard, Frazer Clarke recorded a second-round stoppage of Bogdan Dinu, who failed to come out for the third round citing an injury to his ribs.
Meanwhile, Michael Gomez Jr edged out Levi Giles for the English super-featherweight title via split-decision, finishing the stronger after Giles had seemingly claimed the first three rounds.
Darren Plant
