Despite the controversial decision by one of the judges against him, Chris Billam-Smith was declared as the winner vs Lawrence Okolie, know the fight purse & payout
Thanks to his disciplined boxing against previously undefeated WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie, hometown favorite Chris Billam-Smith managed to emerge victorious and become the new champion.
Chris Billam-Smith vs Lawrence Okolie purse, payouts, winner, full fight card results, highlights
Chris Billam-Smith beats Lawrence Okolie to become the WBO cruiserweight world championhttps://t.co/flgSHgoxbU
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) May 27, 2023
According to rumors, Chris Billam-Smith will make $300,000 as confirmed purse, while Lawrence Okolie will make nearly $500,000. It comes as no surprise that Okolie will bag more money than Billam-Smith given his undefeated champion status. Billam-Smith, though, will help to fill the stadium because he is the hometown hero.
With his resounding unanimous decision victory over the previously unbeaten Lawrence Okolie, English boxer Chris Billam-Smith is now the WBO cruiserweight world champion. Throughout the fight, Billam-Smith outboxed Okolie and managed to knock him down thrice. Additionally, Okolie resorted to violent boxing style and hence, he was deducted two points. By scores of 116-107 & 115-108, two of the judges declared Billam-Smith the clear winner, while the third judge strangely declared it a tie with a score of 112-112.
Full Fight Card Results
- Chris Billam-Smith defeated Lawrence Okolie
- Sam Eggington won against Joe Pigford
- Karriss Artingstall defeated Jade Taylor
- Lee Cutler won against Stanley Stannard
- Michael McKinson defeated Lebin Morales
Chris Billam-Smith vs Lawrence Okolie: match events & post-match reactions
Although Okolie managed to rattle Billam-Smith with a strong right in the first-round, the home favorite found his rhythm quickly. After maintaining the pressure in the second-round, he dropped Okolie to the canvas with a solid left-hand. In the fifth round, Okolie was able to reenter the fight, but he was penalized a point for repeated holding, which marked a significant turning point in the battle. During the seventh-round, the champion developed a laceration above his left eye and was docked another one point.
Okolie became more desperate towards the end of the fight and, regrettably, was knocked down by Billam-Smith’s barrage of punches. Consequently, Okolie dropped to the ground in the tenth-round and eleventh-round. And Billam-Smith was awarded the victory according to the judges’ scorecards, which read 112-112, 116-107, 115-108 in his favor.