In a clash for the vacant WBO cruiserweight title, Lawrence Okolie (16-0, 13 KOs) scored a sixth round knockout over former world champion Krzysztof Glowacki (31-3, 19 KOs) on Saturday night at the SSE Arena in London.
It was a very one-sided fight. The 6’6 Okolie successfully kept the fight at a distance and connected from long range. Glowacki could hardly get inside at all and mostly flailed at air. Okolie finally dropped Glowacki with a huge straight right to end it. Time was :46.
“I don’t think it has sunk in yet,” said Okolie. “It’s nice hearing you say it. I’m happy. For me, it’s more of a relief. The potential has been there for over a year. I’m happy to get the victory. Now and forever, I’ll be a world champion.
“I was just really focused on putting on a good performance. I’m physically very strong and punch hard. I’m very fit, so I can win on just those attributes at a certain level. I really focused on not rushing any shots because he’s very dangerous with counter shots and he’s very heavy-handed. His jabs were very solid, so I had to be very meticulous in keeping the distance. It was a good clean performance.
“All of the British former world champions wishing me good fortune really touched me – shout out to them. From every run that I ever did, losing all of that weight, deciding to take a risk, having my parents support me financially when I couldn’t afford to get the bus down to the gym for training. To see it all pay off with a world title is a dream come true – never give up. We can just go on from here. I need to keep pushing myself to prove myself as the best.”
Glad Okolie prevailed here. Glowacki talked a big game, but was no match.
Obviously no one expected Glowackie to win after a long layoff. Good win by Okolie but Glowackie should not be in that ring.
It gets overlooked after Usyk left, but cruiserweight is a pretty strong division. I don’t know what exactly Briedis is up to but him against Okolie would be one of a few very nice fights in that division.
Just how I called it.
Lame.
no surprise here. a potential hvwt?
It’s an interesting thought. He has the height. He’d have to put on a little bit of mass, but his style would also need alteration. He’d have to rely more on his speed and movement as that would be his big advantage. Sometimes he gives up his height too much when he attacks. Actually, training with Javon and Tyson Fury would be beneficial. Emanuel had the ideal playbook for a tall heavyweight. While Javon may not be as lauded as Emanuel, Steward’s style for training heavyweights was actually quite simple and relied heavily on sound fundamentals. That’s something that is not too hard to pass on and teach. Plus Tyson seems to be improving in that regard. So, all things considered, I can definitely see a guy his size moving to heavyweight as the pay increase would be substantial, but he also may be one of the few who could have real success depending on how much he improves as a fighter. He’s not a spring chicken, but he has a good 7 years or maybe a little more to make something happen.
I lost track of the cruiserweights, but I will keep my eyes and ears open for Okolie.
Good win for the Brit. His size alone makes him dangerous as long as he can make cruiserweight. But it seems he has some ability as well. Glowacki has seen better days and was listless tonight. It’s probably time for him to hang em up after one more farewell fight in Poland.
Congrats LO. Has always come across as a very likeable person
Great performance from Okolie.
He really has improved so much recently.
It was only a few fights back that he was practically unwatchable and every fight was a scrappy,awkward mess.
But now he’s really taking advantage of his height and reach assets,controlling with the jab and then using his power when the moment’s right so,congratulations to him and Shane McGuigan.
He’s a difficult fight for anyone.
He did a very good job. He used his hight and kept out of distance. He is not a classic, schooled boxer. It aint poetry in motion. But he got rid of a very educated and clever opponent and made it look quite easy. I wonder why he still keeps his feet pointing in different directions. I think he will improve his power if he changes his right foot. It should point at the opponent.
Barely made it to the main event thanks the sleep inducing women’s boots.
The sauce is the real shit. I guess I owe someone an apology. Great job, Lawrence. A+.