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Boxing

Lawrence Okolie retains WBO cruiserweight title with points victory over Michal Cieslak

Lawrence Okolie retains WBO cruiserweight title with points victory over Michal CieslakDAZN
Lawrence Okolie beat Michal Cieslak via unanimous decision in the second defence of his world cruiserweight title.

Lawrence Okolie successfully defended his WBO world cruiserweight title after beating Poland's Michal Cieslak on the judges' scorecards.

It was the first time Okolie had gone the full distance in his professional career and it was a messy affair.

Looking to use his extra three inches in reach, Okolie was hoping his trusty right hand could end the fight early. There were times where it seemed to be having an effect early on and it looked like the end was near for Cieslak after he was knocked down in the fifth round. 

While Okolie sniffed blood, Cieslak looked to nullify the defending champion, frequently engaging in clinches in the hope of draining the energy out of the Rio 2016 Olympian. 

As the fight reached the latter stages, Cieslak began to show signs of tiredness and poor discipline by throwing a number of punches to the back of the head.

Despite a valiant effort in the final round to try and end the fight, it was obvious that Cieslak hadn't done enough to become a world champion at the second time of asking.

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Following the final bell, the judges' scorecards read 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 in Okolie's favour.

It will be interesting to see what Okolie decides to do next. 

There is a possibility he could face Mairis Briedis, who was ringside tonight, in a unification fight or if that doesn't materialise, Okolie could finally make the move up to heavyweight.

Re-live the whole night on DAZN which included Galal Yafai's professional debut and an unbelievable comeback from Jordan Gill to win the European Featherweight title. 

 

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