LAWRENCE OKOLIE looked to his right at someone or something inside the Vitality Stadium with the Bournemouth night sky over him.
Seconds later, ring announcer Kody ‘Big Mo’ Mommaerts read out scores of 112-112, 116-107, 115-108 before declaring: “The winner by majority decision and the new WBO cruiserweight champion of the world Chris Billam-Smith!”
The new champion sunk to his knees, overcome with emotion. Thousands of fans rejoiced with him. His friend Okolie clapped for the winner, hugged and congratulated him. A new reign was under way while the previous one was over. Two years, five fights, but a champion no more.
“In the ring, it was tough – I felt quite lonely in there,” Okolie tells Boxing News.
pushing in a type of fight that, if you’re not mentally tough enough, you’ll fold under it. Knockdowns, points [taken off], [the] crowd,
