Lawrence Okolie stopped Poland’s Krzysztof Glowacki in the sixth-round to win the World Boxing Organisation cruiserweight title.
Referee Marcus McDonnell called off the fight after Okolie landed a devastating finishing punch which sent Glowacki to the canvas at The SSE Arena in Wembley.
Unbeaten Okolie became Britain’s newest world titleholder – the first male member of Britain’s 2016 Olympic squad to claim a professional world title.
The Londoner of Nigerian descent has now recorded his 13th knockout in 16 professional fights while handing the Pole’s only his third career defeat in 34 professional bouts after previous defeats to the world-class duo of Oleksandr Usyk and Mairis Briedis.
Afterwards, he paid tribute to trainer Shane McGuigan, the son of former featherweight world champion Barry McGuigan.
“It is crazy, I feel happy and blessed,” Okolie told Sky Sports. “It is surreal.
“I had confidence throughout the week, was very calm.
“Shane reminded me not to rush, and it went exactly to plan. I said I’d get it done between rounds five and eight.”
Okolie now wants to unify the division, with the first target International Boxing Federation belt holder Briedis, who knocked out Glowacki inside three rounds in 2019.
“I am growing into myself as a boxer. It is a process,” he added. “Out of the champions, Mairis Briedis is the one I’d most like to fight.”
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