Lawrence Okolie will defend his WBO cruiserweight world title for the second time when he takes on Michal Cieslak at London’s O2 Arena this evening.
Undefeated Okolie (17-0, 14 knockouts) will have hometown support as he faces a game opponent in Poland’s Cieslak (21-1, 15 KOs), who bounced back from the sole defeat of his professional career with back-to-back stoppage wins in his two most recent fights. Okolie will nevertheless be confident here, having achieved knockouts in his last seven outings, with the 29-year-old’s most recent bout seeing the former Team GB Olympian finish Dilan Prasovic in September. Okolie is out to prove his promoter Eddie Hearn right, after the Matchroom boss said he regards his fighter as the best cruiserweight in the world right now.
The undercard carries intrigue, too, with Galal Yafai making his professional debut after winning gold for Britain at last summer’s Olympics in Tokyo. Also in action will be Cambpell Hatton, son of British boxing icon Ricky Hatton. Yafai and Campbell Hatton will have plenty of backing in the O2, whose roof was repaired this week following damage caused by Storm Eunice last weekend. Follow live updates and results from Okolie vs Cieslak and all of tonight’s fights, below.
