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Lawrence Okolie Withdraws from Heavyweight Bout Against Richard Riakporhe Due to Injury
Lawrence Okolie has announced his withdrawal from the highly anticipated heavyweight matchup against fellow Londoner Richard Riakporhe. Okolie was scheduled to face Riakporhe on April 5, but an injury has forced him to step back from the fight.
Initially known for holding the WBO cruiserweight world title, Okolie recently lost his title to Chris Billam-Smith but subsequently claimed the WBC bridgerweight championship. Now transitioning to the heavyweight division, Okolie was set to square off against Riakporhe in this new weight class.
Riakporhe, a former world-title challenger at cruiserweight, has a history with Okolie that ignited during a confrontation at the premiere of ‘Creed III’ in London, intensifying their rivalry.
However, with Okolie’s injury, their bout is now on indefinite hold. In addition, Joe Joyce was initially slated to fight Dillian Whyte on the same card in Manchester. Yet, Whyte has been sidelined due to a finger injury, resulting in promoter Frank Warren announcing that Filip Hrgovic will step in to face Joyce instead, as confirmed by Talksport.
Joyce, an Olympic silver medallist, is coming off a surprising loss to Derek Chisora and faces significant pressure to avoid a second consecutive defeat. Hrgovic presents a familiar challenge for Joyce, as they previously clashed in their amateur days during a World Series of Boxing event. Hrgovic narrowly missed out on facing Joyce again in the 2016 Olympics, falling to a contentious decision against Tony Yoka.
As a professional, Hrgovic has maintained a formidable standard, with his only defeat stemming from a contest against Daniel Dubois in their IBF Interim title fight. His 2022 victory over Zhilei Zhang stands out, especially considering Zhang’s success against Joyce in subsequent matchups.
Moreover, the fight card is set to showcase exciting heavyweight talent, including prospect Moses Itauma, and David Adeleye will compete for the British heavyweight title against Jeamie TKV, a title previously held by Fabio Wardley.
Source
www.skysports.com