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Okolie vs Chamberlain: Lawrence Okolie bullied his way to victory, says Sky Sports expert Tony Bellew

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Tony Bellew says Lawrence Okolie used his superior strength and size

Lawrence Okolie 'bullied' his way to a points victory over Isaac Chamberlain on Saturday night, says Sky Sports expert Tony Bellew.

The Hackney cruiserweight's superior size and power were on show from the opening bell as he floored Brixton rival Chamberlain in the first and sixth rounds on the way to a unanimous verdict at The O2.

Former world champion Bellew believes Okolie proved a point to his doubters, which included himself, by utilising his physical advantages to overwhelm Chamberlain over 10 rounds.

Lawrence Okolie
Image: Okolie celebrates victory with wide scores of 98-89, 96-90 and 97-89

"He just bullied him," Bellew told Sky Sports. "He got up close, he threw him on the floor. He made it a physical fight.

"I thought, and I got it wrong, I'll openly say it, I got it wrong. Lawrence Okolie proved me wrong tonight.

"When he got close, I thought Isaac would be able to mess him around, make him miss for fun. But when he got close, he just leaned on him, he just used his weight advantage."

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Okolie says he wants to fight Craig Kennedy next

Okolie mentioned Craig Kennedy, a former British title challenger, as a potential opponent, but Bellew thinks he still needs to be carefully guided in these early stages of his professional career.

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"There are some really good domestic scraps where he's going to gain experience and learn from," said the former WBC cruiserweight champion.

"But, I will say that the peripheral edge and the contenders in the cruiserweight division are very, very good, so he's going to have to be very careful. Stay round at the British cruiserweight level."

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