Lawrence Okolie is ready to have a busy 2023 and continue his run as WBO cruiserweight champion. In his way is Chris Billam-Smith, who he defends the belt against on May 27.
The fight is at the Vitality Stadium in England and airs on Sky Sports in the U.K.
A former British, Commonwealth, and European cruiserweight champion, Okolie won the WBO belt in 2021 against Krzysztof Głowacki. He has defended the belts three times, his last bout a unanimous decision win against David Light in March. That was following a year away from the ring.
Motivated, Okolie is ready to halt the momentum of Billam-Smith.
"I've got my own ambitions, my own stuff, unifications, moving up to heavyweight," Okolie said to Sky Sports. "I've got someone here who wants to take that away from me and fulfill his own dreams. But unfortunately, none of his dreams are going to be built on my nightmares. I'm going to devastate him."
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A two-time English National Championships silver medalist, Billam-Smith is also a former Commonwealth and British cruiserweight champion. His last bout was in December, beating Armend Xhoxhaj via knockout. A former sparring partner of Okolie, Billam-Smith believes Okolie’s run as champion will end on Saturday.
"I think we’ve seen the best Lawrence Okolie," Billam-Smith told ProBoxing-Fans.com. "I expect him to be a lot better than he was in his last fight. I think I’ve sparred the best Lawrence Okolie there’s been. There will be things he does differently. As we’ve kind of seen, there’s a few changes he’s made under Sugar (Steward). But, he hasn’t seen the best of me, and I think that’s the element of surprise which will hit him on fight night. By then, it’ll be too late."
Outside of the main event, several local fighters and young guns are looking to impress. Here's a look into the entire main card of Okolie vs. Billam-Smith.
Lawrence Okolie vs. Chris Billam-Smith undercard
Sam Eggington vs. Joe Pigford
- Division/Weight: Super Welterweight
- Eggington record: 33-8
- Pigford record: 20-0
- Belts at stake: N/A
Sam Eggington faces Joe Pigford. Making his pro debut in 2012, Eggington (33-8) won the Commonwealth and British welterweight titles in 2015. After losing super welterweight gold against Dennis Hogan in 2022, ending a four-fight win streak, "The Savage" beat James McCarthy in March via TKO.
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Turning pro in 2012, Pigford (20-0) has won all but one of his bouts via knockout. The 30-year-old fought twice in 2022, his last bout being a TKO win against Raphael King in July 2022.
Lee Cutler vs. Stanley Stannard
- Division/Weight: Super Welterweight
- Cutler record: 12-1
- Stannard record: 10-0
- Belts at stake: N/A
Up next is Lee Cutler vs. Stanley Stannard. Cutler (12-1) turned pro in 2018. After losing to Bradley Rea in 2021, "Chaos" has won five in a row. His last bout was a points win against Joel Julio in December.
The 26-year-old Stannard (10-0) turned pro in 2019 and has won all but four bouts via points. He fought four times in 2022, his last bout being a points win in December against Jake Bray.
Karris Artingstall vs. Jade Taylor
- Division/Weight: Featherweight
- Artingstall record: 3-0
- Taylor record: 5-0
- Belts at stake: N/A
Karriss Artingstall faces Jade Taylor. A former member of the Royal Horse Artillery, Artingstall (3-0) won bronze in the 2020 Olympics. She turned pro in 2022 and has won all her bouts via points. The 28-year-old last fought in March, beating Linzi Buczynskyj.
Taylor (5-0) turned pro in 2018 and has won all her bouts via points. Her last fight was in April 2022, beating Buczynskyj.
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Mace Ruegg vs. Dean Dodge
- Division/Weight: Super Featherweight
- Ruegg record: 8-0
- Dodge record: 9-3-1
- Belts at stake: N/A
Further down the card is Mace Ruegg vs. Dean Dodge. Ruegg (8-0) turned pro in 2020. The 23-year-old has no wins via knockout and has won three bouts in a row via points. He last fought in December, beating Jahfieus Faure.
Dodge (9-3-1) turned pro in 2017. "El Diablo" is on a three-fight losing streak, last facing Aqib Fiaz in March, losing via TKO.
Lewis Edmondson vs. Vladimir Belujsky
- Division/Weight: Light Heavyweight
- Edmondson record: 6-0
- Belujsky record: 13-6-1
- Belts at stake: N/A
Lewis Edmondson and Vladimir Belujsky will look to take the other down. Edmondson (6-0) turned pro in 2019. "The Saint" last fought in November, beating Edgars Sniedze via TKO. Belujsky (13-6-1) turned pro in 2017 and is 1-3 in his previous four. "Big Bad Vlad" ended a three-fight losing streak in January, beating Josef Holub via retirement.
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Other scheduled fights on the undercard include:
- Tommy Welch vs Amine Boucetta
- Michael McKinson vs Lebin Morales
- Mikael Lawal vs Isaac Chamberlain
- Alireza Ghadiri vs Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira
When is Lawrence Okolie vs. Chris Billam-Smith?
- Date: Saturday, May 27 | Sunday, May 28
- Start time: 2 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. BST | 4 a.m. AEST*
- Main event: 6 p.m. ET | 11 p.m. BST |8 a.m. AEST* (approx.)
Okolie vs. Billam-Smith will take place on May 27. The first fight is expected to be at around 2 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. BST | 4 a.m. AEST, with the main event scheduled for 6 p.m. ET | 11 p.m. BST | 8 a.m. AEST, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
*event takes place on May 28 in Australia.
How to watch Lawrence Okolie vs. Chris Billam-Smith
| Country | Date | Channel + Live Stream (main card) |
| United States | Sat. May 27 | TBA |
| United Kingdom | Sat. May 27 | Sky Sports |
| Australia | Sun. May 28 | TBA |
The fight will be shown on Sky Sports Action in the U.K.
Lawrence Okolie vs. Chris Billam-Smith price: How much does the card cost?
The fight is not pay-per-view so Sky Sports subscribers will be able to watch the action at no extra cost. Sky subscription package contract prices vary. Now TV also provides Sky Sports for £34.99 a month with no contract.
