Ready to Fight presents an analysis of boxing matches held from May 24 to 27
On May 24 in Melbourne, Australia, Joseph Parker (31-3, 21 KOs) faced Faiga Opelu (15-3-2, 11 KOs) in a bout for the vacant British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship.
Joseph Parker (32-3, 22 KOs) defeated Faiga Opelu (15-4-2, 11 KOs).
Right from the opening seconds, Parker established his dominance in the ring, exerting pressure on his opponent. The New Zealand boxer landed one blow after another, while his Australian counterpart could only defend himself and attempt to close the distance.
Joseph seized the moment and delivered a powerful blow that caused his opponent to stagger and lose balance. In the end, the referee halted the fight, declaring Parker the winner in the first round.
On May 27, several thrilling battles took place:
In Manchester, England, Mauricio Lara (26-2-1, 19 KOs) fought Lee Wood (26-3, 16 KOs) for the WBA featherweight title.
British fighter Lee Wood (27-3, 16 KOs) triumphed over Mexican boxer Mauricio Lara (26-3-1, 19 KOs) in a fight for the WBA featherweight title.
The bout went the full distance and concluded with Wood emerging victorious through a unanimous decision from the judges: 119-109, 119-109, and 116-111.
Prior to the fight, Lara failed to meet the weight limit for the featherweight division, so the title was only at stake for Wood.
In Belfast, Northern Ireland, Luis Alberto Lopez (27-2, 15 KOs) entered the ring against Michael Conlan (18-1, 9 KOs) in a contest for the IBF world featherweight title.
The fight served as the main event of a boxing evening organized by the promotion company Top Rank, held at the SSE Hydro arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Additionally, on the same day, Nick Ball (17-0, 10 KOs) faced Ludumo Lamati (21-0-1, 11 KOs) in a WBC Silver featherweight title bout.
Lamati, with his long arms and legs, consistently utilized his physical advantages to great effect. On the other hand, Ball was compelled to adopt a power-oriented boxing style, resulting in an increase in clinches, holding, and infractions.
The fight was tense and somewhat uninteresting for spectators, marked by a fair amount of rough play and wrestling techniques. Nevertheless, Nick Ball unexpectedly emerged victorious as Lamati's coach threw in the towel, conceding defeat for his boxer in the 12th round.
In Bournemouth, England, Lawrence Okolie (19-0, 14 KOs) faced Chris Billam-Smith (17-1, 12 KOs) for the WBO heavyweight title.
In the fourth round, champion Okolie found himself on the canvas but managed to get back on his feet. In the fifth round, Okolie received a warning from the referee for holding his opponent's hands, and was penalized again in the seventh round.
In the tenth round, Billam-Smith knocked his opponent down again. In the eleventh round, Okolie hit the canvas for the third time.
By majority decision, Billam-Smith won the championship title against Okolie with scores of 112-112, 116-107, and 115-108.