LAWRENCE OKOLIE
Cool, calm and world title collected for Lawrence Okolie against Krzysztof Glowack
The powerful cruiser joins the elite
WEMBLEY
MARCH 20
★★★★★ MAIN EVENT ★★★★★ UNDERCARD
THERE are certain mantras that can lead to success. Know what you are good at, and make sure you do it. Believe in your training and back yourself. Lawrence
Okolie did all that and more as he became a new WBO champion. Forty-six seconds into their sixth round behind closed doors at Wembley Arena he left
Krzysztof Glowacki laid out on the canvas to mark his rapid ascent to the top level of cruiserweight boxing.
Okolie, already a British, Commonwealth and European champion, was stepping up to fight for this world title in only his 16th professional contest. But he was neither overawed nor hesitant as began his work at the quiet arena. Instead he remained composed from the start against Glowacki, a former world champion himself. He stuck to his plan from the opening bell. Okolie let the Polish southpaw come to him and met him with constant jabs. Even when those lefts were light, and awkward as they jarred out, they were unpredictable. Glowacki soon found he couldn’t get past them. The Londoner moved, maintaining the space between them, a long range from where he could work. It was calm, unspectacular but stopped Glowacki from outjabbing him. When the Pole tried ducking to his left, Okolie stuck him on the end of farreaching, heavy right hand. A punch with the kind weight behind of it that makes anyone, including a previous WBO title holder, take note.
Okolie gave Glowacki a taste of his power, hooking in that back hand in the first round. But he didn’t rush himself. Instead he frustrated Glowacki, controlling the tempo of the coming rounds. In the fourth though he began to open up with further punishing shots. Glowacki felt those clearly. As he returned to his corner between rounds, the concern on his face was undisguised.
Glowacki was the rustier of the two. He had been out of action since June of 2019 and the mayhem of his brawl and stoppage loss to Mairis Briedis. When he failed a Covid test in December Okolie tuned up for this clash with a quick win before the end of the last year. That activity must have made a difference. The Briton came in ready, while Glowacki was trying to find the mark, or to at least make use of his greater experience, and struggling. Instead uncertainty bled into his own work. Increasingly flustered about when to throw punches himself, the Pole found himself flinging short hooks from too far out and Lawrence could sidle away once again to a comfortable distance.
Chalking up the rounds, in clear command, all Okolie needed to cap the performance was a finishing blow. That he delivered in devastating style. In the sixth he shifted his feet forward sharply, the left hand darted out again that this time set up a swift cross. The impact bowled his opponent over, depositing the stricken Glowacki flat on his back. He was hurt. It took a heroic effort just roll back on to his knees let alone beat referee Marcus Mcdonnell’s count.
The fight turned into a coronation. Britain has a new world champion in Okolie and one who’s still at just an early stage in his career too. It is a breakthrough moment for him. “For someone with such limited fights in total, whether that’s amateur or professional I’ve been put under a lot of pressure to perform. A lot of that obviously is my own doing with some of the fights I’ve had,” Lawrence said. “I’ve always felt like a champion within myself. I never wanted to call myself a champ until I won a world title. I’m happy I can call myself the champ now.
“I’ve won the world title but I know that there’s unifications, defences, there’s so much responsibility that comes with it.”
It was a triumphant night for Shane Mcguigan, who guided Okolie to this victory and also had Anthony Fowler and Chris Billam-smith win on the card. Fowler looked dangerous as he destroyed Jorge Fortea in three rounds. The Spaniard backed up in the first round, but methodically Fowler tracked after him. His long jab clipped him and when Fortea burst forward in the second round, the Liverpudlian greeted him with his heavy right, hacking his back hand to the body. He dropped Fortea in the third, just a solid jab that somehow spun Fortea off his feet. Once the Spaniard struggled up, Fowler pounced again. He launched his right, a single shot that crashed fully into Fortea’s jaw, toppling him back to the canvas. The bell sounded to end the round, but Fortea could not beat the referee Steve Gray’s count at 3-08.
Billam-smith overcame the gallant
efforts of Vasil Ducar over 10 rounds. He put the Czech down twice and Ducar felt the weight of the Bournemouth man’s punches, especially to the body. Billamsmith bore down on him, slamming in power punches, tiring himself at times even though the momentum was with him. But even when his game opponent seemed like he about to wilt, he managed to sling stinging combinations to Billamsmith’s jaw when he could. Billam-smith let too many of those through but could not be denied a unanimous decision win. Judges Mcdonnell and Gray scored 99-90, ungenerous to the gritty defiance of Ducar’s performance. Bob Williams scored 97-92. Michael Alexander referred.
Joe Cordina showed little effects of a long time out as he returned to action against Faroukh Kourbanov. The Welshman’s reactions were sharp, his body and head movement smooth and he was comfortable throughout the 10 rounds. He flicked his jab out, to hold Kourbanov still. He outmanouvred the man from Belgium, uncorking the flashier combinations. But he didn’t shift Kourbanov. Faroukh weathered them well and fired back when Joe stood his ground, trying to hammer a way through Cordina’s guard. He struggled to connect cleanly.
But while Joe had seemed in control, Mr Gray surprisingly scored them level at 96-96. However Cordina took a majority decision 98-93 for Mr Mcdonnell and 96-95 for Mr Alexander. Mr Williams refereed. Rising Catford featherweight Ellie Scotney looked dynamic beating Maily
Gangloff. Even when Scotney retreated she caught the Frenchwoman with sharp uppercuts and hooks. Scotney relished the work up close but her footwork was smarter too, helping her to a clear points decision, 59-55 after six rounds for referee Mcdonnell.
Ramla Ali, London-based but Somalia’s first international boxer, outboxed Swindon’s Bec Connelly. Ali measured out Connelly with her jab, showing the technique of her boxing. But Ali injected venom into her punches. She hurt Connelly at times, drilling her with salvoes of shots. Connelly had had to come in at short notice and came close to being stopped but Ramla ultimately won 60-55 for referee Williams.
Streford’s Bradley Rea dominated Lee Cutler, sending him flying into the ropes with a dangerous left hook and heavy straight cross, putting him down three times before halting him at 2-03 of their first round. Rea was frighteningly impressive, catching the Bournemouth man with sudden strikes to take a rapid win. Mr Mcdonnell refereed.
THE VERDICT The next stop for Okolie will be unification fights.