Briton Lawrence Okolie defended his WBO cruiserweight belt with a comfortable yet scrappy points victory over Michal Cieslak at London’s O2 Arena.
The 29-year-old floored the Polish challenger in the fifth round but was not at his fluent best in a bout where both men continued to grapple and hold.
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The judges’ scorecards read 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 – all to Okolie.
“It was a flat performance and I allowed it to get messy,” Okolie told 5 Live Boxing.
“This was one of those days where it was tough, awkward, and the guy was physically strong, but I need to work on the mentality that it doesn’t need to be perfect.
“I will go back to the gym, go again and make it right the next time.”
The Londoner now moves closer to a unification bout, with IBF champion Mairis Briedis a possible opponent.
Raucous crowd but scrappy bout
Okolie used his long reach to keep Cieslak at bay
Prime time boxing on a Sunday evening is a rarity and in the build-up to the main event there was a somewhat more placid, yet intimate, atmosphere compared to regular world-title fight nights.
But the 6,000 fans in attendance certainly made themselves heard when Okolie entered the ring alongside former heavyweight champion and mentor Anthony Joshua and UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
There was also huge Polish support for Cieslak – the arena at times resembling a football ground with chants exchanged between the home and away fans.
Okolie edged the first round with a huge right which landed cleanly in an otherwise scrappy start.
The fighters engaged in more clinches and smothered each other’s advances in rounds two to four but Okolie – with effective jabs to the body – was doing enough to control the fight and win the rounds.
By the fifth round, Okolie had found his range and looked light on his toes. A chopping right glanced the top of Cieslak’s head and then moments later Okolie countered with another right and the challenger was down on one knee.
Cieslak shook off the knockdown and recovered well in the sixth round. He connected with an uppercut in the seventh and a straight left while Okolie was backing away in the eighth – but the champion was the busier fighter.
Okolie twice landed cleanly in the 10th round but as the fight headed to its conclusion, both men started to get more reckless and the holding seemed to worsen.
Despite the ungainly and often ugly nature of the fight, as the final bell rung there was no question as to who the winner was.
What’s next for Okolie?
Latvia’s Mairis Briedis holds the IBF cruiserweight world title
It may not have been his greatest performance to date but Okolie is an undefeated world champion with 18 straight wins as a professional.
The 200lb (14.4 stone) division – compared to other weight classes – has historically struggled for depth. With just a handful of elite-level champions and contenders, he may now be provided an opportunity to unify the division and earn his status as the cruiserweight king.
Congolese fighter Ilunga Makabu – who lost to Briton Tony Bellew in 2016 and beat Cieslak in 2020 – holds the WBC belt and could well be the next man Okolie faces.
There is also undefeated Frenchman Arsen Goulamirian – the WBA ‘Super’ champion – but he has not competed in over two years.
Domestically, Chris Billam-Smith is ranked in the top 10 with all governing bodies and undefeated Richard Riakporhe – who has beaten Billiam-Smith – is also in world-title contention.
The most entertaining and profitable fight for Okolie, however, would be a unification battle against the outspoken and often unpredictable Briedis.
“That’s the fight we want to see,” promoter Eddie Hearn said.
The 37-year-old Briedis caused a stir last year when he got a tattoo calling out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul – an act which alienated boxing enthusiasts and one which Okolie described as “ridiculous”.
Okolie has spoken of the demands of making weight and if the unification fights do not materialise, he could move up a weight class and attempt to emulate fellow Briton David Haye, American great Evander Holyfield and Ukraine’s current unified champion Oleksandr Usyk in winning world titles at both cruiserweight and heavyweight.
Hearn added: “Okolie will move to heavyweight – you will see him at 16 stone plus – but with his ability he can win all the belts in this division and I’d like to see him do that before he makes the move to heavyweight.”
Yafai stars on debut & Gill thrills with ‘Rocky’ performance
Yafai is tipped to follow in the footsteps of his brother Kal and become a world champion
On the undercard, Olympic gold medallist Galal Yafai made a huge statement on his professional debut, stopping Carlos Bautista in the fifth round to win the WBC international flyweight title.
It was a classy performance from the 29-year-old Birmingham boxer, who won gold in Tokyo last summer.
Southpaw Yafai showcased quick hands, repeatedly pierced the Mexican’s guard and was also solid in defence against an experienced opponent who himself landed a few clean blows.
Yafai finished it off with a beautiful right-left combination to floor Bautista, with the referee stopping the fight just as the corner were about to throw in the towel.
In an absolutely remarkable fight, Jordan ‘The Thrill’ Gill lived up to his name with a sensational ninth-round knockout win over Karim Guerfi to capture the European featherweight title.
Gill was in control until he was unexpectedly floored by the Frenchman in the seventh round. Guerfi continued the onslaught in the next two rounds, with Gill pinned to the corner and the referee poised to stop the fight.
Then, out of nowhere, Gill unleashed an overhand right and Guerfi hit the canvas. Gill, while celebrating, was still on unsteady legs.
“That was one of the most stunning things I have seen,” promoter Eddie Hearn said.
“It was like something out of a Rocky movie. It was not human what Jordan Gill did there. He never quit.”
Earlier in the night, Anthony Fowler earned a hard-fought 10-round points win over Poland’s Lukasz Maciec and undefeated lightweight Campbell Hatton – son of British and Manchester boxing icon Ricky Hatton – continued his education in professional boxing with a sixth-round stoppage win over Joe Ducker.
There was an explosive debut victory for Olympian Cheavon Clarke, the cruiserweight stopping Croatia’s Toni Visi in the second round with a flurry of punches, while undefeated heavyweight Fabio Wardley knocked out American Daniel Martz in the second round.
A Zenith Bank Plc’s staff member, Femi Remigus, on Tuesday tendered exhibits against Mr Ali Bello, the Chief of Staff (CoS) to Gov. Usman Ododo of Kogi, in the alleged money laundering trial to the tune of N3 billion.
Remigus, a Compliance Officer, tendered the exhibits while being led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The banker was the 6th prosecution witness (PW-6) in the ongoing trial of Ali, who is also a nephew to ex-Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi.
The EFCC had, on Feb. 8, 2023, arraigned Ali Bello, Abba Daudu, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege, Iyada Sadat and Rashida Bello (at large) on 18-count of criminal misappropriation and money laundering of N3,081,804,654.00.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts when they were read to them.
When the matter was called on Tuesday, Oyedepo informed the court that the matter was slated for trial continuation.
While being led in evidence, Remigus explained how millions of naira were deposited into Komfort Koncept Company’s bank account from the bank account names of different local government areas (LGAs) in the state on different dates in 2018.
The witness said that on specific dates, monies were simultaneously transferred from the said account, at different times, into some of the defendants’ bank accounts, especially Daudu’s.
“On October 4, 2018, there were nine credits or inflows into the account of Komfort Koncept Company,” he said.
He told the court that N18,629,944 came from Ibaji LGA of Kogi.
He said N20,887,537 came from Adavi LGA and N17,496,929 came from Kogi LGA.
The PW-4 also said N18,460,565 came from Kabba LGA while N17 million came from Ankpa LGA.
“Yagba West Local Government credited N18,234,063, while Ofu Local Government credited N21,363,633,” the witness added.
When asked how much was in the Komfort Koncept’s bank account before the inflows, Remigus said: “N7,275.”
According to him, on the date of the inflows, there was a transfer of N105 million to Abba Daudu and others.
Earlier in the proceedings, the EFCC’s witness identified associated bank documents, including the statements of account, account opening packages and certificates of identification of accounts of Komfort Koncept, Yakubu, Daudu, and others.
Oyedepo, therefore, applied to tender the documents as exhibits but defence legal team, including Nureni Jimoh, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the documents but reserved objections for the final written address stage.
Justice Egwuatu subsequently admitted the exhibits in evidence, noting that the probative value of the exhibits would be determined by the court during the judgment.
The judge consequently adjourned the .after until May 5, May 19, May 20 and May 21 for the continuation of the trial.
It would be recalled that the EFCC is also prosecuting Ali Bello in another case before Justice James Omotosho.(NAN)
Mr Ishaya Kukah, brother to the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Fr. Matthew Kukah, on Tuesday recounted his harrowing experience in the hands of bandits who had held him and others captive.
Kukah spoke with newsmen on Tuesday when the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu and the Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, handed over 60 rescued victims to their families in Abuja.
He said he had given up hope of surviving before his rescue with others by the troops of the 1 Division Nigerian Army in Kaduna.
“Frankly speaking, I had already given up. I didn’t think I would come out alive because of how they were treating us in the bush.
“We suffered too much. They used to chain us in twos. If you wanted to defecate or urinate, you had to move together,” he said.
Kukah said that the victims were pressured into agreeing to ransom demands due to the torture they endured.
According to him, if they noticed you are reluctant, they will beat or even kill you.
“If not for the Federal Government, we would still be in the bush. Thank you for what you have done. God bless you,” he said.
Another rescued victim, Adesanya Michael, a Deputy Director at the National Assembly Commission, who was abducted from his residence in Kubwa, Abuja, advocated for a non-combative approach to tackling banditry.
He said the bandits, mostly aged between 17 and 21, were stark illiterates and victims of circumstance.
“I was chained for 32 days. Most of them can’t even count up to a million. They don’t know what they’re doing.
“Instead of killing them, the government should arrest, educate, and rehabilitate them. Some of them want to learn trades. They can still be useful,” he said.
Michael, who was kidnapped on Jan. 26 and released on April 7, recounted how his wife was killed in his presence.
“When they kill someone in front of you, you will give them anything they want. They killed my wife before me. In that moment, if they asked for my head, I would have given it,” he said. (NAN)
A civil society organisation in Zamfara State has strongly criticised Governor Dauda Lawal, accusing him of gross incompetence and failure to secure the lives and property of the citizens under his watch.
In a scathing statement signed by the group’s Publicity Secretary, Dr Suleiman Ibrahim Usman, the organisation alleged that Governor Lawal has abandoned his responsibilities, choosing instead to blame his predecessor, Dr Bello Matawalle, for the state’s persistent security challenges.
“Governor Lawal has failed woefully in his primary duty of safeguarding the people of Zamfara,” the group said.
“Rather than tackle the escalating insecurity, he spends his time pointing fingers at his predecessor, all while living lavishly and ignoring the plight of his people.”
The group criticised what it described as the governor’s “luxurious lifestyle”, claiming that while communities in the state suffer from hunger, sickness, and fear of bandit attacks, Governor Lawal is busy acquiring exotic vehicles.
“It is disgraceful for a leader of a traumatised state to indulge in such extravagance,” the statement read.
The statement further accused the governor of mismanaging the state’s increased federal allocation and internal revenue, questioning what tangible security investments have been made since he assumed office.
“Under Governor Matawalle, despite limited funds, security agencies received over 200 Hilux vehicles and motorcycles. What has Governor Lawal done with the increased allocation?” the group queried.
The civil society group also criticised the ongoing road projects in the state, describing them as mere reconstructions of long-standing roads rather than the development of new infrastructure.
“These are not new roads; they are just politically motivated renovations focused mostly on his own local government area,” the statement alleged.
It condemned aides of the governor for attacking the current Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle, saying he had contributed to improved security in the state.
“Thanks to Matawalle’s interventions, many villages are now able to sleep with both eyes closed, and farming activities are gradually returning,” Dr Usman claimed.
“It is only hypocrites or those who have never stepped foot in Zamfara that would commend this administration. We challenge anyone to visit the state and see the suffering of the people firsthand.”
