Chris Billiam-Smith defeats Lawrence Okolie for the WBO Cruiserweight title

Chris Billiam-Smith defeated Lawrence Okolie to win the WBO Cruiserweight title in front of a large audience in Bournemouth. Okolie hung on in the latter rounds and was docked a point for holding as the bout came to a close. Lawrence Okolie, a British boxer of Nigerian heritage, saw his two-year tenure as WBO cruiserweight champion expire on Sunday, May 28, 2023.Okolie was defeated by voluntary challenger Chris Billiam-Smith in a twelve-round unanimous decision at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England. In an attempt to hold Billiam-Smith, the 6'5" Okolie gave up his height and reach.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.