RESULTS: LAWRENCE OKOLIE BEATS DAVID LIGHT IN ROUTINE TITLE DEFENSE IN MANCHESTER

By: Jay Calderon‍

On Saturday in Manchester at the Manchester Arena, and live on Sky Sports, WBO Cruiserweight titlist Lawrence Okolie retained his gold with a unanimous decision over David Light.

In the opening rounds, Okolie was moving well, looking to land the hard right hand over the guard of Light. Light seemed frustrated by the second round, unable to get inside the reach of Okolie.

Light was still trying to get closer in the third, but Okolie was working a probing jab and a long right hand well enough to maintain control. In the fourth, Okolie landed a few right hands, including a couple to the body, that likely earned him the frame.

After a fifth that was very similar to the first four rounds, the sixth wasn't much different. Okolie created the distance, and Light struggled to find any way of getting around it. The seventh was the same.

Okolie was coming forward a bit more in the eighth, using a jab to push Light back a bit more. However, Light was looking to move inside in the ninth. His issue was Okolie simply wouldn't let him get anything done.

In the tenth, a solid 1-2 stunned Light, and Okolie pushed him back with another combination. However, to his credit, Light stayed on his feet and recovered well in the round.

In the eleventh, after two uneventful minutes, Okolie was docked a point for holding. However, almost immediately following the point deduction, a right hand by Okolie again stunned Light. Still, the Aussie managed to survive the frame.

In the final round of action, it was mostly a replay of the eleven previous rounds. Okolie seemed to smother his work a bit too much, and Light seemed resigned to the idea of simply finishing the contest.

In the end, Okolie retained his gold with scores of 119-108, 117-110 and 116-112. JOB had it for Okolie, 119-108.

OTHER RESULTS:

Michael Gomez def. Levi Giles, 10SD (Won Vacant English Jr. Lightweight Title)

Frazer Clarke def. Bogdan Dinu, 2TKO (Heavyweight)

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