The former gym-mates took to the ring in entrance of 15,000 followers on the Vitality Stadium, with Okolie agreeing to defend his WBO cruiserweight title in Billam-Smith’s hometown simply 63 days after his final struggle.

Okolie was dropped 3 times within the struggle, the primary coming from a clear left hook within the fifth spherical earlier than two questionable knockdowns late within the bout, and he additionally had two kilos taken off for extreme holding.

That left the beforehand unbeaten fighter far an excessive amount of to do on the playing cards, as Billam-Smith acquired a majority choice after one decide, someway, scored it 112-112 whereas the opposite two gave it to the house favorite 116-107 and 115-108.

“I was sick in bed all week,” Billam-Smith instructed Sky Sports.

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“I didn’t eat from Tuesday to Thursday. It was easy making weight! I had no energy, I managed to put a brave face on for the workout on Wednesday and the presser on Thursday.”

He added: “I’ve pictured me dropping Lawrence with that left hook all camp. That first knockdown was exactly what I’ve envisioned.”

Okolie stated: “He was doing a lot of good stuff. He got a good knockdown which changed the momentum of the fight. From there he was putting in some really good work and I was struggling to get my foothold back in the fight.

“I’ve got to take my hat off to him. He did very good work and we’re going to run it back anyway.”

Elsewhere on a busy evening of boxing within the UK, Leigh Wood turned a two-time world champion with a factors victory over Mauricio Lara, who had been stripped of his featherweight belt on Friday. The Mexican got here in almost 4 factors over the restrict, after it emerged that the British Boxing Board of Control had deemed it could be unsafe for him to make weight after a routine test earlier within the week.

Wood put that to 1 aspect because the judges scored it 118-109, 116-111 and 118-109 in his favour, giving him revenge for the defeat to Lara he suffered earlier this 12 months.

Michael Conlan was unable to turn into world champion in entrance of his house followers in Belfast, as he was stopped within the fifth spherical. A ferocious tempo was set within the early levels and the raucous crowd have been left shocked as an uppercut dropped Conlan and his nook instantly threw within the towel.

In Bournemouth, the sample of the struggle was clear from the opening moments of the primary spherical. Okolie appeared to land a jab or an enormous proper hand after which instantly lunge in to carry, with Shane McGuigan in Billam-Smith’s nook screaming on the referee to take a degree off his former fighter.

He was made to attend for that, as Okolie continued to smother Billam-Smith and stop any constant exchanges from going down. That scrappy fashion suited him and he was comparatively in management till the fourth spherical, when he was caught as he turned away by a left hook that left him in big bother. Okolie staggered round for the ultimate minute of the spherical, holding much more and he someway made it to the bell on unsteady legs.

The referee misplaced his endurance within the fifth, deducting a degree from Okolie for the fixed holding, and one other one went two rounds later because the tactic continued. An exasperated referee continued to drag the fighters aside, his appeals to Okolie touchdown on deaf ears.

Okolie nonetheless carried a menace heading into the ultimate rounds, with the wrestling seemingly having extra of an impression on Billam-Smith and the house favorite started to look drained because the draining nature of the bout took its toll. He was lifted within the tenth although, Okolie falling to the canvas and the referee started counting, regardless of replays displaying no clear pictures had landed.

That left him with six minutes to avoid wasting his world title and he got here flying out of his nook, trying to land the large shot he wanted to and there was some encouragement by means of a nasty lower on Billam-Smith left’s eye. That swiftly light although within the penultimate spherical, as a 3rd knockdown got here, once more maybe harshly, and from there Okolie had no selection however to throw the kitchen sink on the scenario.

He was unable to take action within the last spherical, a fittingly scrappy one, as Billam-Smith made it to the ultimate bell and, regardless of some woeful scoring from one decide to have it degree, acquired the proper ending to his large evening in Bournemouth.