Lawrence Okolie v Chris Billam-Smith: WBO cruiserweight title fight for British pair
- Published
Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billam-Smith once shared a coach
Lawrence Okolie says he "loves" Chris Billam-Smith but vowed to knock out his friend and former sparring partner in their world title fight on 27 May.
Okolie, 30, will defend his WBO cruiserweight title at Vitality Stadium, home of 32-year-old Billam-Smith's beloved AFC Bournemouth.
Britons Billam-Smith and Okolie were once training partners, but will put friendship to one side.
"I love [Chris] as a person but I'm here to make statement," Okolie said.
"It's almost unfortunate as I like Chris, but I have to do what I have to do."
Billam-Smith set his sights on a world-title shot after beating Armend Xhoxhaj in his home town at the Bournemouth International Centre in December.
'The Gentleman' has only one loss in 18 fights, while Londoner Okolie has a perfect record with 19 wins from 19 bouts.
The cruiserweights had previously said they did not want to fight each other, but that has changed since Okolie signed a promotional deal with Boxxer.
Okolie will fight only nine weeks after last successfully defending his WBO title against mandatory challenger David Light.
From training partners to friendly rivals
Billam-Smith and Okolie sealed their fight announcement with a hug after a cordial news conference in London.
The fighters are extremely familiar with each other from Okolie's time under the tutelage of coach Shane McGuigan.
Billam-Smith estimated they had shared over 300 rounds in the three years they were training partners.
"No one has done as many rounds with Lawrence as I have," Billam-Smith said.
"I like Lawrence, he's a funny guy but he's got something I want, it's business."
The cruiserweights shared a hug after the face-off
The world title fight has come as somewhat a shock, considering Okolie only fought on 25 March in a 12-rounder.
It has been known for a few weeks Billam-Smith would fight at his favourite football team's ground, but few would have predicted it would have been Okolie standing opposite him on fight night.
"I dreamed of playing on the pitch one day, but my feet weren't quite as good as my hands. My dream now is win a world title at the stadium," Cherries season ticket holder Billam-Smith said.
"I don't fear anyone, we've tried to fight every champion there is and Lawrence is one of them. I respect him but don't fear him."
Okolie praised Billam-Smith's willingness to take the fight as he has struggled in recent years to agree terms with fellow champions for unification bouts.
"They haven't shied away," Okolie said of his opponent and his coach McGuigan.
"I believe he's the best cruiserweight on the planet, for now," added McGuigan.
Billam-Smith has been chasing world title opportunities against several of those same champions - such as IBF holder Jai Opetaia and WBA (Super) holder Arsen Goulamirian - and as the European and Commonwealth champion is ranked number three in the WBO's cruiserweight rankings.
The news conference produced no fireworks from the headline fighters. A blink-and-you'll-miss-it face-off was concluded with a hug between both men.
After seeing Billam-Smith in two "all-action" encounters in 2022, Okolie expects his former sparring partner and coach to bring the best out of him when they meet in the ring.
2023 the year of the British cruiserweight - analysis
Okolie and Billam-Smith kick off what could be the year of the British cruiserweight in boxing.
The division is stacked with British talent including Mikael Lawal and Isaac Chamberlain, who will fight on the undercard in Bournemouth.
On 27 May the world title will remain in British hands whatever the result and waiting in the wings is Richard Riakporhe, the only fighter Billam-Smith has lost to as a pro and who Okolie had a melee with at movie premiere in February.
The Londoner is also in prime position to fight for a world title being in the top five of the IBF, WBC and WBO's rankings and will push hard to fight the winner.
When Okolie joined Boxxer earlier in the year, these all-British fights were on the horizon, but not even promoter Ben Shalom thought he could arrange one so quickly.
"The fighters demanded it - we didn't see this one coming," he said.
With Riakporhe, Billam-Smith and Okolie there are a slew of exciting fights than can be made and if the other world champions can be tempted into the mix, it could be a standout year for cruiserweights in this country.
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- Published14 January
