Eddie Hearn on Okoli situation: 'I'm sorry for the work done'

Eddie Hearn isn't going to let go easily Lawrence Okoli (18-0, 14 KOs), so the Briton has to prepare for the fight in the ring and in court. The head of Matchroom Boxing has been the promoter of the WBO cruiserweight champion since the start of his professional career.

The bone of contention was the duel between Okoli and Nikodem Yezhevsky. In December 2020, the Englishman was supposed to fight another Pole, Krzysztof Głowacki. The vacant belt of the World Boxing Organization was at stake. However, Głowacki tested positive for covid and was replaced by Jezewski, but he was too low in the rankings for the WBO to recognize the fight as a championship fight. It was then that Hearn and Okoli made a deal. Lawrence will fight, but it won't be a contract fight. And both sides accepted this condition. At least that's the promoter's version.

“Under the contract, I can’t tell you everything, but this is very disappointing. We have a great team, we are honest with our athletes and so far no one has said a bad word about Matchroom. And if someone leaves us, it is because they fulfilled their contract and chose a different path. We don't cheat our fighters, we always pay them on time, which is unique in the boxing world. Lawrence's situation is well documented. He has to fight one more fight for us, he disputed it, and now we have a lawsuit, ”said Hearn.

“The worst thing is that we did a fantastic job on it at every level, so when you hear all this afterwards, you feel disrespectful to yourself and your work. Okoli received a very good offer, it's true, but he forgot that he still has obligations to us and the last fight in the contract. Nobody likes a lawsuit, but everything will be decided in court. And I will continue to do so for as long as legally possible,” Hearn said.

On March 11, Okoli will face mandatory contender for his title, David Light (20-0, 12 KOs). This will be a fight of the evening from the promotional organization BOXXER.