Rozanski vs Okolie LIVE! Boxing result, fight stream, latest updates and reaction after first-round stoppage

Rozanski vs Okolie - LIVE!

Lawrence Okolie became a two-weight world champion as he ruthlessly stopped Lukasz Rozanski in the opening round. The Briton travelled to Poland to challenge for the WBC bridgerweight title, a year on from losing his cruiserweight belt against Chris Billam-Smith, and the raucous home fans were stunned into silence inside the opening three minutes.

The previously unbeaten Rozanski had promised a fast start himself but it was Okolie, now 20-1, who proved to be far too good, dropping the 38-year-old three times before it was waved off with seconds remaining in the first round.

“This is the best moment in boxing for me, so I’m super happy,” Okolie said. “New weight, putting the KO back in Okolie. I said I’m going to go in there from round one and try and get the knockout... I went out there and done that.”

Rozanski vs Okolie latest news

• Okolie stops Rozanski in opening round!

• Undercard results

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23:01 , Matt Verri

Lawrence Okolie became a two-weight world champion as he ruthlessly stopped Lukasz Rozanski in the opening round.

The Briton travelled to Poland to challenge for the WBC bridgerweight title, a year on from losing his cruiserweight belt against Chris Billam-Smith, and the raucous home fans were stunned into silence inside the opening three minutes.

The previously unbeaten Rozanski had promised a fast start himself but it was Okolie, now 20-1, who proved to be far too good, dropping the 38-year-old three times before it was waved off with seconds remaining in the first round.

“This is the best moment in boxing for me, so I’m super happy,” the 31-year-old said.

“New weight, putting the KO back in Okolie. I said I’m going to go in there from round one and try and get the knockout... I went out there and done that.”

Read our full report here!

Can't keep the smile off his face

22:41 , Matt Verri

No surprise that Okolie is full of life in the ring!

Easy as you like!

22:25 , Matt Verri

That was a mismatch, to put it mildly.

Rozanski blown away, Okolie is a two-weight world champion.

Rozanski vs Okolie

22:22 , Matt Verri

Round 1

Okolie looks to land a huge right hand in the opening minute - interesting decision for Rozanski to move at him with his hands by his side. Punch doesn’t connect.

It’s Rozanski looking to get in close and smother, Okolie needs to keep the distance and give himself room for that big shot. He’s the bigger man.

ROZANSKI DOWN!

There it is. Straight right, Rozanski sat right down. Some start.

A minute to go... DOWN AGAIN! He’s claiming it was on the back of his head - no chance.

Rozanski is all over the place, staggering around. AND AGAIN - A THIRD KNOCKDOWN! He falls into the ropes.

AND IT’S WAVED OFF.

Thanks for coming.

Ding ding!

22:18 , Matt Verri

We’re up and running in Poland!

This ring looks absolutely tiny.

22:17 , Matt Verri

Okolie bouncing around the ring, hasn’t stopped moving for about five minutes. Fair amount of nervous energy, I’d suggest.

Rozanski hasn’t moved a muscle. He’s never been beyond the fourth road, so very much not one to put himself through unnecessary exertion.

22:14 , Matt Verri

God Save The King blares out around the arena - met with the same indifferent silence we had for the ring walk.

You will not be stunned to hear the Polish anthem is proving more popular.

22:11 , Matt Verri

Basically silent as Okolie steps into the ring. All a bit surreal.

This could well prove to be his only fight at bridgerweight, with a move up to heavyweight expected in the very near future.

That’s all for another day, though. Here’s Rozanski.

Here we go!

22:08 , Matt Verri

In fact, it’s not as bad as feared. It’s time!

Big Mo (don’t think that’s his actual name) his in the ring, ready to announce the fighters.

Polish fans have turned out in good numbers. Okolie’s name read out first - not as many boos as I expected. All fairly respectful.

Montage time...

22:06 , Matt Verri

And so it begins.

TV coverage in Poland has now begun, so naturally it’s time to run through the entirety of Okolie’s career.

Warm-up time!

22:01 , Matt Verri

Gloves signed off, Okolie throwing a few uppercuts in his dressing room.

Gallagher then seems to be explaining to him what a warm-up is... I’d imagine Okolie has probably worked that out by this point in his career. Could be wrong.

Stand by...

21:55 , Matt Verri

Just a few minutes away from the main event. That’s the plan, anyway.

Boxing has an uncanny ability to drag things out beyond anything you would consider possible.

Fingers crossed we don’t have a concert and 30 minutes of montages first.

Gallagher leaving nothing to chance!

21:48 , Matt Verri

It’s been a busy afternoon for the trainer.

He’s been all over the ring with his tape measure, making sure everything is as it should be.

Gallagher says it’s a very small ring, but insists Okolie is ready for that.

Okolie ready for "lions's den"

21:39 , Matt Verri

Lawrence Okolie insists he will not be fazed by being in the away corner tonight.

It’s expected to be a raucous atmosphere, with the Polish fans roaring on their man, but Okolie is confident he will deliver a “vicious” display.

“Everyone knows what it is.

“You’re going into the lion’s den, it’s going to be hostile, it’s going to be violent, it’s going to be vicious.

“The guy’s going to be coming to take your head off.”

He added: “Now I don’t have to make weight as much, so I should have the energy to do what I want to do in the ring.

“Secondly, I’m saying to myself now, I’m adopting a more vicious mindset, so if I’m able to execute it, great. If not, then there’s a problem. But I feel confident.”

Undercard results

21:31 , Matt Verri

Undercard action is done!

Main event next - here’s what we’ve had so far tonight.

Fiodor Cherkashyn beats Jorge Cota (Round 7 stoppage)

Ihosvany Garcia beats Lukasz Plawecki (Round 2 stoppage)

Jan Czerklewicz beats Paul Valenzuela (Points)

Kamil Slendak beats Daniel Plonka (Round 2 stoppage)

Tobiasz Zarzeczny beats Daniel Przewieslik (Points)

Big weekend of boxing

21:24 , Matt Verri

Lawrence Okolie takes centre stage tonight, and it’s then the long-awaited rematch between Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall tomorrow.

Taylor has apologised for producing a stinker of a fight when he and Catterall first met, but has promised a “barnstormer” for their rematch tomorrow night more than two years on.

In what was the first defence of his undisputed light-welterweight title, Taylor was knocked down by Catterall, who also landed more punches than his opponent in 11 of the 12 rounds, but a controversial split decision went the way of the champion. One publication even called it the “biggest robbery in British boxing history”.

Taylor went on to lose his next title defence to Teofimo Lopez in Madison Square Gardens, New York, by unanimous decision and, a year on, he takes on Catterall once more.

Of the pair’s first encounter, he said: “The last fight was a stinker from both of us. Jack was doing a lot of holding and spoiling, slowing down the pace, I was very pool as well. I believe the two of us can be a lot better and it will be a better fight for the fans.

“It’s going to be a barnstormer. We were first in the arena on Monday and get a bit of a surprise, it’s right on top of you, so it’s going to be a great experience and atmosphere in there. It’s been a long two years since the first fight.”

All new for Okolie!

21:16 , Matt Verri

It’s been a year of change for Okolie, since he was last in the ring and losing to Chris Billam-Smith.

He’s switched up his corner, with SugarHill Steward, trainer of Tyson Fury, replaced by Joe Gallagher, who works with Okolie for the first time tonight.

And, of course, a change in weight. Okolie has moved up from cruiserweight to bridgerweight - interesting to see whether those extra pounds will see him carry more power.

"No holding"

21:08 , Matt Verri

That’s a warning from the referee as he runs through the rules.

It’s been a problem for Lawrence Okolie in a number of his recent fights - almost a reflex for him to look for the clinch.

Wouldn’t be a surprise to see that in the early rounds here, particularly if Lukasz Rozanski comes flying out of the blocks as expected.

Undercard update

20:58 , Matt Verri

A couple more results from the action earlier in the card.

Jan Czerklewicz has eased to a points win over Paul Valenzuela, while Ihosvany Garcia sent Lukasz Plawecki through the ropes on his way to a knockout victory in the second round.

Main event should be getting underway just after 10pm.

Dressing room thoughts from Okolie

20:46 , Matt Verri

“From round one I’m going to be trying to get him out of there,” says Okolie.

You’d think he has the edge the longer this fight goes, with Rozanski never having been beyond the fourth round, but Okolie not in the mood for hanging around, it would appear.

Babic: Okolie must avoid 'perfect storm'

20:36 , Matt Verri

Speaking of Alen Babic, he has been in contact with Lawrence Okolie in the build-up to this bout, urging him to be switched on from the very first bell.

"The perfect storm," Babic said. 

"Rozanski does create a storm. He knows he can't outbox me. He can't outbox Lawrence Okolie, for sure. He's a bit older and he's at the end of his career, so he knows all of it.

"That's why I said to Lawrence, don't get into his fight. He's going to run at you. He's going to literally run across the ring for Okolie. Boxers, we are not used to that.

“That's why Okolie called me. I said that to him, because Lawrence does get a bit lazy in his sparring and his fights, he can't do that. He can't afford that, because it will be over in a split second.”

Rozanski an explosive fighter

20:25 , Matt Verri

Lukasz Rozanski makes the first defence of his WBC bridgerweight title tonight.

Lawrence Okolie the favourite, but Rozanski will fancy his chances of upsetting the odds.

He became world champion in April with a first-round stoppage win over Alen Babic.

Now has a record of 15-0 with 14 knockouts, and he’s never been beyond the fourth round. Don’t expect him to hang around.

Tape measure was out...

20:11 , Matt Verri

Lawrence Okolie and Joe Gallagher were at the arena earlier this afternoon, taking a quick look at the ring.

A bit of shadow boxing, some measuring up... we’ll assume it’s all good to go!

Okolie must bounce back

20:02 , Matt Verri

Lawrence Okolie back in the ring for the first time in almost exactly a year.

It was a fairly miserable experience 12 months ago. He was knocked down three times, had two points taken off for excessive holding and lost his WBO cruiserweight title to Chris Billam-Smith.

Things... can only get better?

The action has begun...

19:52 , Matt Verri

The undercard is up and running in Poland.

Tobiasz Zarzeczny beat Daniel Przewieslik in the opening bout of the night, winning by unanimous decision over four rounds.

And Kamil Slendak wasted little time in getting the job done, as he stopped Daniel Plonka in the second round.

Card in full

19:43 , Matt Verri

Lukasz Rozanski vs Lawrence Okolie

Ihosvany Garcia vs Lukasz Plawecki

Fiodor Cherkashyn vs Jorge Cota

Jan Czerklewicz vs Paul Valenzuela

Kamil Slendak vs Daniel Plonka

Tobiasz Zarzeczny vs Daniel Przewieslik

Standard Sport prediction

19:32 , Matt Verri

Okolie has vowed to bring a more “vicious mindset” to the ring in pushing for a knockout, but it is difficult to believe he will be a transformed man on Friday night.

Even working with Sugar Hill Steward did not result in a more entertaining style, with Okolie hugely frustrating in that defeat to Billam-Smith as he constantly looked to clinch.

Whether the move up in weight helps him to be more explosive remains to be seen, but he may well need to weather an early storm against Rozanski, who can be expected to fly out of the blocks with a raucous crowd behind him.

The world champion stopped Babic within a round and has gone beyond the second round just twice in 15 professional bouts - any sort of patience from Rozanski would be a surprise.

He has never been beyond the fourth round and so Okolie, who has gone the full 12 rounds in his last three bouts, should be confident of taking charge if he can take the fight deep, having survived whatever onslaught comes his way.

There is a danger that the early threat from Rozanski could force Okolie into his shell again, but the Briton looks capable of finding the stoppage against a tiring opponent as the fight moves past the halfway stage.

Okolie to win by knockout, round seven.

How to watch Rozanski vs Okolie

19:20 , Matt Verri

TV channel: In the UK, the world-title bout will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Arena, with coverage starting at 10pm BST.

Live stream: Subscribers can tune into the bout live online via the Sky Go app.

Live blog: Follow all the action right here with us!

Tonight's venue

19:06 , Matt Verri

The Podpromie Arena in Rzeszow, Poland hosts tonight’s action.

Not the biggest of venues, with a capacity of around 4,000, but it’s Rozanski’s hometown and you can expect there to be plenty of noise!

Good evening!

18:58 , Matt Verri

Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Lukasz Rozanski vs Lawrence Okolie!

It’s a big world title fight in Poland, with the WBC bridgerweight belt on the line. Rozanski is the champion and home favourite, but Okolie will be confident of taking the title back to the UK.

We’ll have all the latest build-up and undercard results before full coverage of the main event, which is expected at around 10:30pm BST.