LAWRENCE OKOLIE marked his heavyweight debut with a crunching first round knockout of German visitor Hussein Muhamed.
The Sauce, who was also boxing under the Queensberry banner for the first time, won world titles at cruiserweight and bridgerweight but has now decided to try his hand as a heavy.
And he showed a glimpse of what might be to come in his new division, dismantling the 18-1 Muhamed inside a round.
Okolie came in a career highest 260 3/4lbs but he moved well behind a high guard and it was clear pretty early that this was going to be a quick night for the Hackney man.
And so it proved after 2:14 of the opening round, when a trademark long right hand put Muhamed over heavily.
He somehow clambered to his feet in order to beat referee Lee Every’s count and for a second it looked as though the contest would be allowed to continue.
But Every rightly decided the Cologne man was in no fit state to continue, handing Okolie a dream start to life in the sport’s blue ribbon division.
