SOUL OF SPORT: Lawrence Okolie successfully defended his WBO cruiserweight title against David Light in a packed boxing night on Saturday… KEVIN QUIGLEY captures all the emotion and drama from Manchester’s AO Arena in pictures
By Kevin Quigley for the Daily Mail
07:06 27 Mar 2023, updated 07:27 27 Mar 2023
Each week on a Monday, our Soul of Sport series takes readers behind the scenes at top sporting events
Kevin Quigley was in Manchester to watch Lawrence Okolie defend his WBO cruiserweight world title
His photographs capture all the emotion, ecstasy and heartache that boxers experience before and after the fight
Welcome back to the soul of sport. In the fifth episode of the series, KEVIN QUIGLEY traveled to Manchester to watch Lawrence Okolie, new to Boxxer after splitting from Eddie Hearn, win his WBO cruiserweight world title against David at the AO Arena on Saturday Light defended.
A sell-out night of boxing drama ensued as there was also a full undercard with compatriots Frazer Clarke and Frankie Stringer set to be in action.
There was great excitement, fear and exhilaration as the often brutal nature of life as a professional boxer was captured in multiple behind-the-scenes footage from warm-up to fight time to the aftermath. Our man used a Nikon Z9 camera and 24-70mm, 14-24mm and 400m lenses to capture the action.
Veteran Polish middleweight boxer Robert Talarek looks battered and injured after his loss to Shakiel ThompsonFans at Manchester’s AO Arena frolic in the concourse areas as police look on before the action beginsWorld cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie before the third title defense against David Light from New ZealandFans in disguise prepare for a packed night of boxing as the atmosphere at AO Arena soarsOkolie is going through his final moves with the fighter heading into his bout with Light on Saturday with an 18-0 recordLiverpool’s Brian Phillips (centre) gets his hands wrapped before his fight with Rhys Edwards, with Phillips losing the fightWorld Champion Natasha Jones gets her makeup done before helping present Saturday night’s coverage on Sky SportsSupporters in sombrero hats chant and join in the action as multiple battles are chained together across the mapA boxer prepares to lace up his Nike boots before his fight, having previously wrapped his hands in the dressing roomFans celebrate on a night when Okolie returned to the ring to defend his world title after a hiatus of more than a yearA busy undercard dressing room filled with male and female fighters. Michael Gomes Jnr (C) waits for the call to go outA bucket full of ice is being prepared in anticipation to help the boxers in their recovery after very intense bouts on Saturday nightOkolie had previously defended his world cruiserweight title in 2021 against Dilan Prasovic and then in 2022 against Michał CieslakFrankie Stringer is close to tears after being overcome with emotion following his win over Jakub Laskowski on SaturdayFormer British Olympic champion Frazer Clarke smiles after his overwhelming victory over Bogdan Dinu – who was eliminated after the second roundOkolie’s WBO cruiserweight title sits alongside the fighter’s book chronicling his journey to professional boxingOkolie won the fight against Light by unanimous decision, with the three judges scoring the fight 116-112, 119-108, 117-110A long shot of Okolie beating Light, with the New Zealander showing incredible resilience throughout the fightOkolie relaxes after retaining his world title belt after a solid performance that saw the Brit win every round of the fightTalarek’s wounds are fully revealed by Thompson after his brawl, showing the extremely harsh realities of life as a boxer
