Lawrence Okolie takes on Chris Billam-Smith in a huge outdoor stadium fight in Bournemouth this evening.
‘The Sauce’ puts his WBO cruiserweight world title on the line for the second time in just nine weeks, having made his comeback after 13 months out of the ring with a comfortable if dull points win over David Light in Manchester on his Boxxer debut in March.
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Okolie needs an emphatic statement victory next having rather flattered to deceive since winning his belt, with two sleepy defences back-to-back and an acrimonious split with Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn that led to such a long period of inactivity.
He will hope the fruits of his new training partnership with SugarHill Steward will be on full display at the Vitality Stadium tonight, though old teacher Shane McGuigan is plotting his downfall in the corner of Billam-Smith, Okolie’s friend and former sparring partner.
A raucous 15,000-strong crowd will be willing on the hard-hitting hometown favourite, who is hoping to cause an upset and realise his own world title ambitions after a run of eight consecutive wins that included that brutal knockout of Armend Xhoxhaj before Christmas.
How to watch Okolie vs Billam-Smith
TV channel: The event is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK tonight. Coverage gets underway at 7pm BST on Sky Sports Action and 8pm on Main Event. Main event ring walks are expected after 10pm.
Live stream: Subscribers can also catch the action live online via the Sky Go app.
