Okolie Vs. Chris Billam-Smith Pre-Fight Presser – The Key Moments

Lawrence Okolie faced Chris Billam-Smith in their final press conference before their cruiserweight title fight on May 27th, 2023.

Okolie will put his WBO cruiserweight title on the line as he is set to defend the belt for a fourth time. He arrives into the bout in mixed form, based on his last performance.

Despite getting a win over David Light, the Brit’s failure to knock him out did not go down well. In contrast, Billam-Smith is in a confident mood, having beaten Armend Xhoxhaj via a knockout in his last fight. 

Much has been said about the nature of their relationship, with Okolie and Billiam-Smith being on very good terms. The two are familiar with each other, having trained and sparred together. 

That was shown as they even took the time to have a hug during the pre-fight build-up. And yet, at the presser, it was clear that the two had put their friendship aside. 

There was no handshake during the faceoff, as it was over in a matter of seconds. 

As for the co-main event, Sam Eggington faces Joe Pigford. With that being said, here were the key comments from the presser.

Key Quotes

On the task ahead: “I’m very confident in myself, and a lot of stuff I’ve heard coming from their camp is based on me being less… but I can say that I’m in amazing shape,” Okolie

Prediction: “I’m coming to make an extremely big statement on the weekend. As much as I love and respect the other side, I just think a lot of this stuff has been built up around destiny and world titles… but I’m my own man,” Okolie

 

On having a title shot: “We’re here now. It’s fight week. You know, I got to see the stadium yesterday and it put a huge smile on my face and filled me with a lot of emotion which is good,”  Billam-Smith

On the fans: “They have been amazing. Anytime I’m in Bournemouth and people see me and you know I’m feeling great energy from the whole town. They have been brilliant,” Billam-Smith

Full Card

Lawrence Okolie vs Chris Billam-Smith

Mikael Lawal vs Isaac Chamberlain

Sam Eggington vs Joe Pigford

Lee Cutler vs Stanley Stannard

Karriss Artingstall vs Jade Taylor

Tommy Welch vs Amine Boucetta

Michael McKinson vs Lebin Morales

Lewis Edmondson vs Vladimir Belujsky

Mace Ruegg vs Dean Dodge

You might also like

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

buy ivermectin for humans ivermectin for sale