Lawrence Okolie Secures First-Round TKO in Heavyweight Debut

London-based fighter Lawrence Okolie commenced his heavyweight career with a first-round victory against Hussein Muhamed at Wembley’s OVO Arena. This win marks his 21st professional triumph, including 16 knockouts, against a single defeat. The former cruiserweight world champion secured the win by delivering a precise counter-right hand, which sent Germany’s Muhamed to the canvas with 46 seconds remaining in the round. Muhamed, who also had only one prior loss, appeared overwhelmed. He managed to stand up by the count of eight but then stumbled towards the referee, who disregarded Muhamed’s objections and stopped the fight. Okolie commented on his performance, stating, “As soon as I hit them, they start going. I’m ready for the best in the world.” The 31-year-old’s move to heavyweight follows a series of divisional changes, including losing his WBO cruiserweight title to Chris Billam-Smith last year and subsequently winning the WBC bridgerweight title in May, prior to signing with promoter Frank Warren. On Friday, Okolie’s weigh-in registered 18st 6lb, marking an increase of two and a half stone from his last fight and over four stone compared to his bout with Billam-Smith. He expressed confidence in his new weight class, explaining, “I felt tired having to make that [cruiserweight] – now I know every round I can be explosive and then recover.” The fighter from Hackney has previously faced criticism for his frequent grappling and clinching, a tactic that, despite its effectiveness, often led to unengaging matches. However, he fulfilled his pre-fight commitment to an explosive display in this bout, with promoter Frank Warren indicating that “big fights in 2025” are anticipated for him. In the evening’s main event, Denzel Bentley secured the British and European middleweight titles by defeating Brad Pauls on points. This victory positions Bentley, now a three-time British champion, as the number one challenger for the WBO world title, keeping him on track for a second world-title opportunity. Bentley narrowly won a closely contested match, knocking Pauls down in the 10th round with what appeared to be a light jab. Pauls received strong vocal backing from his traveling supporters from Cornwall, who chanted ‘Newquay Bomb’. Despite this, several seats in the arena remained unoccupied, possibly due to potential attendees being discouraged by Storm Darragh. All three judges awarded the fight to Bentley, who maintains his position as the top challenger for WBO champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, against whom he previously lost in 2022. Earlier on the card, David Adeleye delivered a significant statement to other British heavyweights by achieving a remarkable first-round stoppage victory against the previously unbeaten Solomon Dacres. Joe Joyce and 2024 Team GB Olympian Delicious Orie were present ringside as Adeleye landed a forceful lead left hook one minute and 20 seconds into the bout. The blow grazed Dacres’ head, seemingly disorienting him before he fell hard against the ropes and then to the canvas. British and Commonwealth lightweight champion Sam Noakes extended his undefeated streak with a commanding unanimous decision victory over Ryan Walsh, following an earlier win by his brother Sean Noakes, who outpointed Matthew Rennie.