Lawrence Okolie declared the city of London as his following a dominant points win over bitter rival Isaac Chamberlain at The O2 on Saturday night.
It was an eagerly anticipated match-up that failed to really catch fire, but it was Hackney cruiserweight Okolie who proved a class above Brixton’s Chamberlain as they finally settled their long-lasting feud.
Following the unanimous decision victory, Okolie, still undefeated, admitted that he has plenty to work on going forward, but was delighted to get the better of the capital’s grudge match.
“In the build-up to this, it was east London versus south London,” ‘The Sauce’ said, “but I consider myself London.
“Right now in the cruiserweight division, I own London, now let’s go for Britain.
“I answered questions in there. Isaac is a good fighter and he tested me in different ways. This is a benchmark and I want to push on from this.
“I knew it wouldn’t be pretty, I hurt him early and wanted to see if he would be brave enough to keep coming. I kept hurting him and he kept coming back. I have nothing but respect for him and his mental toughness and fortitude.
“I’m nowhere near the finished article, there’s a lot of mental and physical work to do after this.”
Okolie, 25, has now turned his attentions to getting a spot on the Anthony Joshua-Joseph Parker bill in Cardiff next month.
“Before this fight, I said to everyone that the next time you see me I will be WBA Inter-continental champion, I stuck to it and got the win.
“I want to have a little rest and then box on the Anthony Joshua undercard next against someone like Craig Kennedy.
“I want to face someone good and keep working, Kennedy is from Wales so it will be another good learning experience.
“Headlining The O2 or boxing at York Hall, it’s all the same, you get in the ring and all the talk goes out the window, you land the right hand and people go down.”
