By Francis Ajuonuma
World Boxing Organisation (WBO) cruiserweight champion, Lawrence Okolie says he would be very devastating when he defends his title against fellow Englishman Chris Billam-Smith at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth tomorrow (Saturday).
Okolie, who successfully defended his title on March 25 against David Light of New Zealand, boasted that he is very well ready for the fight as he is in the best of his shape and loaded with the antidot to destroy Billam-Smith.
“I’m coming to make an extremely big statement. I’m my own man on my own journey and there’s stuff that I want and need and I’m ready to fight for it.
“I’ve shown time and time again I’m ready to take the risk and do what needs to be done. I can say I’m in amazing shape and I’m coming to do a job.
“The way Chris fights, he’s always all action. He comes to throw a lot of punches, put a lot of pressure on where he’s the home fighter, he’s going to have 15,000 people screaming for him, hoping that he can dethrone me. So I’m going to have to be devastating and he’s going to make it very easy for me,” Okolie declares
Though Billam-Smith admits Okolie carries big punches, he says he is not scared of exchanging pound for pound with the champion whose parents are Nigerians of Igbo descent.
“Lawrence is obviously a very big one-punch puncher, but if you look at my last fight it shows that I can punch.
“He might think this is just me saying it. But he’s also not used to getting hit so it’s almost like a double effect. Once you get hit and you know how to deal with that, panic doesn’t set in. I think for him panic will set in on Saturday night.
“Any fight against Lawrence is dangerous because he can punch and he’s got long levers so you have to take educated risks and you’ve got to really work hard to get the shots off you need to do. That’s what we’ve been doing the whole time,” Billam-Smith said.
“I don’t expect him to stand there and trade with me. He knows he can’t do that. I imagine he’s going to be trying to keep it long and move his feet. The hard thing with Lawrence is getting in position. So we know what we’ve got to do.
“I’ve got to stay concentrated. It’s not just going in there, just going hell for leather. That’s not how this game works at the top level. It’s got to be concentration the whole time and focus. That’s how the job will get done.
“It’s got all the ingredients to be a really special night. Everything from it being two Brits for a world title, for me being in the stadium. But also being old gym mates, old trainers, etc. There’s a real story to it for me and I just thrive off of that and let that fuel me,” he added.
