The ongoing dispute between Lawrence Okolie’s Matchmaking Room and Eddie Hearn has taken a different turn.
Okolie, who has made it clear that he wants to leave the advertising agency, has been out of the ring since February of this year. The 18-0 WBO World Champion was recently called up to face the also undefeated David Light.
The fight, due to an ongoing promotional dispute, was scheduled for pocket tenders. However it was announced, according to boxing scenethat Boxxer and Ben Shalom had successfully lobbied to stage the match on Sky Sports before the bidding process could begin.
The chairman of the WBO Championship Committee, Luis Batista-Salas, detailed the matter in a letter to all parties.
“The WBO World Championship Committee acknowledges receipt of a letter from Team Okolie’s legal representative, Mr. Mohit Pasricha, whereby Okolie confirms in writing that his team has reached an agreement with Team David Light. related to the matter of mandatory requirements.
In addition, the Committee has received correspondence on behalf of the David Light Team confirming the agreement between the parties.
According to the boxers, through their representatives, the match will be promoted by “Boxxer” and will take place on Saturday, March 11, 2023, in London, UK.”
The WBO resolution notes that Okolie’s attorney, Themba Smith, has requested that Hearn’s company be excluded from the correspondence. Matchroom opposes this.
“The WBO has confirmed the email communication of Mr. Themba Smith, on behalf of Team Okolie confirming receipt of notice of negotiation and announcing that Matchroom Boxing is no longer a promoter of Okolie. Therefore, Mr. Smith has requested that the WBO not include Matchroom in any Okolie/Light related correspondence.”
“The WBO subsequently received an email response from Mr. Shaun Palmer, on behalf of Matchroom Boxing affirming that Okolie and Matchroom are parties to the pending dispute resolution process and to maintain the legal status quo. , Matchroom should continue to report issues related to Okolie.”
In the end, Okolie confirmed her intention to work with Shalom and Boxxer, not reproduced in Matchroom, who were later informed of these words by the WBO.
“Please accept this as confirmation that I have reached an agreement with Ben Shalom/Boxxer to play David Light in London on 11 March 2023.”
This decision represents a constant back-and-forth motion that is unlikely to find a solution anytime soon. The Okolie side seems to believe their legal position – which is being denied Matchroom’s claim that the boxer has one match left on his contract – powerful enough to go on and work with Boxxer.
Given the public nature of the spat so far, many expect it to come out soon.
