Lawrence Okolie defended his WBO cruiserweight belt with a comfortable yet scrappy points victory over his opponent.
The 29-year-old floored the Polish challenger in the fifth round but was not at his best in a bout where both men continued to grapple and hold.
The scorecards were read to Okolie.
Okolie told 5 Live Boxing that it was a flat performance and he allowed it to get messy.
This was one of those days where it was tough, awkward, and the guy was strong, but I need to work on the mentality that it doesn't need to be perfect.
I will return to the gym and make it right the next time.
The Londoner is close to a unification bout with Mairis Briedis.
Prime time boxing on a Sunday evening is rare and in the build-up to the main event there was a more intimate atmosphere compared to regular world-title fight nights.
The 6,000 fans in attendance made themselves heard when Okolie entered the ring with Anthony Joshua and Israel Adesanya.
The arena at times resembled a football ground with chants exchanged between the home and away fans.
Okolie was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217
Okolie was able to control the fight and win the rounds because he jabs to the body and he was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217
Okolie looked light on his toes by the fifth round. The challenger was down on one knee after Okolie countered with a right and a chopping right glanced his head.
In the sixth round, Cieslak recovered well after being knocked down. The champion was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217
Okolie landed cleanly in the 10th round but as the fight headed to its conclusion, both men started to get more reckless and the holding seemed to get worse.
There was no question who the winner was as the final bell rang.
Okolie has 18 straight wins as a professional and it may not have been his best performance to date.
The 200lb division has struggled for depth. He may now be given an opportunity to unify the division and earn his status as the cruiserweight king.
The next man Okolie faces could be the man who lost to Tony Bellew in 2016 and beat Cieslak in 2020.
Arsen Goulamirian has not competed in over two years.
Chris Billam-Smith is ranked in the top 10 with all governing bodies and Richard Riakporhe is in world-title contention.
The most profitable fight for Okolie would be a unification battle with the outspoken and unpredictable Briedis.
Eddie Hearn said that they want to see that fight.
Last year, the 37-year-old Briedis caused a stir when he got a tattoo calling out Jake Paul, an act which Okolie described as "ridiculous".
If the unification fights do not happen, Okolie could move up a weight class and try to emulate fellow Britons David Haye, Evander Holyfield and Oleksandr Usyk.
Okolie will move to the heavyweights but with his ability, he can win all the belts in this division and I would like to see him do that before he makes the move.
On the undercard, Olympic gold medallist Galal Yafai made a huge statement on his professional debut, stopping Carlos Bautista in the fifth round to win the WBC international flyweight title.
It was a good performance from the boxer, who won a gold medal in Tokyo last summer.
Southpaw Yafai showcased quick hands, repeatedly pierced the Mexican's guard and was also solid in defence against an experienced opponent who himself landed a few clean blows.
The referee stopped the fight just as the corner were about to throw in the towel after Yafai finished Bautista with a beautiful right-left combination.
Gill lived up to his name with a stunning ninth-round knockout win over Guerfi to win the European title.
Gill was in control until he was floored by a Frenchman in the seventh round. Gill was pinned to the corner in the next two rounds and the referee was poised to stop the fight.
Gill unleashed an overhand night and Guerfi hit the canvas. Gill was still on the floor.
Eddie Hearn said that it was one of the most stunning things he had seen.
It was like something out of a movie. Jordan Gill was not a human. He never quit.
Anthony Fowler earned a hard-fought 10-round points win over Poland's Lukasz Maciec and Campbell Hatton stopped Joe Duck in the sixth round.
The cruiserweight division was won by Cheavon Clarke, with a flurry of punches in the second round, followed by a knockout of American Daniel Martz in the second round.
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