Gritty challenger David Mild needed to endure some punishing energy punches to go the space with Lawrence Okolie.
However Hackney’s WBO cruiserweight world champion Okolie was a dominant victor over 12 rounds.
He took a unanimous determination victory and in the end manhandled Mild, hurting him within the late rounds of the battle however by no means dropping him.
WBO cruiser champion Okolie was returning to motion after greater than a yr out of the ring with a brand new coach in his nook, SugarHill Steward.
He was desperate to serve a warning to home rivals, the opposite champions in his division and even of his personal potential to maneuver as much as heavyweight.
In David, although he had a compulsory challenger who not solely earned this chance however who had lengthy focused Okolie and his belt, getting ready particularly for his probability to topple the Londoner and develop into a champion.
Mild had no alternative however to attempt to burrow ahead and rise up near the taller Okolie on the within. They grappled in clinches at instances.
Okolie did look to hit. The precise hand flew down and Mild stepped again from it simply in time.
His jab pawed at Mild however then suddenly Okolie’s proper would flash over focusing on the pinnacle however then, after the following jab, thud closely into the physique.
Moments of success for the New Zealander had been solely fleeting. However with stubborn willpower Mild carried on pushing himself ahead, slugging his proper hook into the facet of his head and dealing to disrupt the champion when he might.
However on the finish of the tenth spherical, Okolie slammed big hooks in a punishing salvo into Mild.
Within the subsequent spherical, after being deducted some extent for holding, Okolie hit again as soon as once more and badly shook up Mild.
However the challenger was robust sufficient to endure and took Okolie to the playing cards, the place the Londoner received by scores of 116-112, 119-108 and 117-110.
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