They were friends and sparring partners, but Chris Billam-Smith points out that he has spent years training to beat Lawrence Okolie.
He gets the chance to try when he challenges Okolie for the WBO cruiserweight world title on May 27, live on Sky Sports.
Billam-Smith has racked up belts at British, Commonwealth and European level and now aims to go one step further against Okolie in his most difficult challenge to date.
They are no stranger to one other. Only last year, the two were training together under Shane McGuigan until Okolie relocated and linked up with Tyson Fury’s current head coach SugarHill Steward. Their intertwined careers will add some extra fire to what is set to be a cracker in Bournemouth. It is a match-up that has been years in the making.
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There was plenty of respect between Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billam-Smith as they went head to head at the press conference ahead of their fight on May 27.
“I wanted to box Lawrence when I was an amateur,” Billam-Smith told Sky Sports. “I was coming up and he was in the ABAs [the national amateur championships] in 2016 seeded No 1. Then he got taken out after qualifying for the Olympics. I got put in at No 3 in the ABAs and got to the final.
“Early on in my pro career he was No 1 in the country. I was building myself to beat him. Then he joined the gym and now I get to box him for a world title.”
Okolie called out Billam-Smith live on Sky Sports in late March and the fight was signed only days later. Since then, the pair have gone head to head during their first pre-fight press conference where the atmosphere was a little … awkward.
“I thought he’d be a bit friendlier but it was almost like he didn’t know how to act. It was strange in a way but, look, its business,” Billam-Smith said.
Friends fighting one another does not typically happen in boxing. But it adds a different dimension to this fight, in a build-up that will not need to lurch into trash-talk.
“We know each other. None of us really talk bad about opponents. For it to be such a high-profile fight [and yet] be amicable and not throwing tables to build the fight. This is just two old friends going at it for a world title,” Billam-Smith said.
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Highlights of Lawrence Okolie against David Light as the Brit retained his WBO world cruiserweight title in Manchester.
When the pair faced off at their press conference, they even managed a hesitant embrace.
“I think he couldn’t not when I asked him for it. And obviously Lawrence likes a hug, doesn’t he? I said ‘let’s get them out the way now’,” Billam-Smith said, a reference to the clinching that marred Okolie’s last fight – a points win over David Light.
Billam-Smith is headlining at the stadium of his football club in Bournemouth, while WBO cruiserweight title-holder Okolie is looking to defend in style after his last performance. The question will be how do they match up?
Billam-Smith has taken confidence from their history of training together that he can combat Okolie’s tricky fighting style.
“He’s awkward. I’ve shared the ring with him plenty of times. He’s got a huge amount of awkwardness but we know how to negate that now,” Billam-Smith said.
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Lawrence Okolie says former trainer Shane McGuigan can tell Chris Billam-Smith everything about him, but the reality of putting it into practice on the night is very different.
Billam-Smith also has trainer McGuigan, who took Okolie to his world title, to help devise a winning approach.
“Lawrence knows how good of a coach Shane is. Shane is very good at adapting gameplans. Me and Shane work well together because I inform him what it’s like actually being in there. We figure out what works and what doesn’t,” he said.
Beating Okolie has been an impossible task for all 19 of his opponents so far. How, then, will Billam-Smith get it done in front of his home fans? He will test whether he can hurt Okolie.
“I’ve got to find a way to hit Lawrence and hit him often. He doesn’t get hit that much or that clean. So I’m going to hit him often and hit him clean,” he said.
“When has anyone ever looked close to beating him? I’ve never seen him down in our gym. He’s very hard to beat and I want people to remember that when I beat him. I want to get that recognition.”
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Johnny Nelson says world cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie needs to develop his skills further if he wants to keep hold of his WBO title.
Billam-Smith, though, is already gaining recognition – with demand for tickets high. He wants to repay that hometown support with a career-best win.
“They [his fans] are the reason this fight is going ahead at this venue. They’re the ones who turned out in force against Isaac Chamberlain last year and then again in December against [Armend] Xhoxhaj. Two unbelievable atmospheres and they’re turning out again. I’m very fortunate and grateful for my supporters. The ticket sales have gone well already in the pre-sale. I’m over the moon with that. The stadium will be bouncing,” he said.
Two Britons fighting for a world title in an expected stadium sell-out is the plan. The stage is set for both men.
“We are both going in there to knock each other out. This is a world title fight with so much at stake. The opportunities for us both beyond this are huge, and a dramatic fall on the other side for whoever comes out worse. There’s going to be no love lost. It’s going to be all guns blazing,” Billam-Smith said.
“I’ve got an opportunity to fulfil my dream of winning a world title at the stadium. So there’s pressure on myself. Obviously, there’s pressure from my fans, they’re all turning up in their thousands to come and watch me, the whole town is behind me.
“But I’ve always said pressure is a privilege and I absolutely love it. It gets me revved up even more, gets me ready to produce a great performance, to entertain and to win the fight.”