From the opening round, Okolie relied heavily on an extended left arm that he held straight out in front of him to prevent Tetteh from closing distance. It was not used as a jab or a range finder. It functioned as a stiff arm, repeatedly posted on Tetteh’s upper body and face. The tactic is illegal when used continuously, yet the referee offered no warning and made no effort to police it.
For a former cruiserweight champion facing a shopworn journeyman, the reliance on that tactic was puzzling.
Okolie repeatedly loaded up on his right hand, throwing it with power but little disguise. Each attempt followed the same pattern. He would throw the right, miss or partially land, then immediately fall forward into a clinch, tying Tetteh up before any return fire could come back. The sequence was predictable and repeated throughout both rounds.
Tetteh offered little resistance. He appeared disengaged from the opening bell and spent more time complaining to the referee than attempting to fight his way inside. In the first round, he was rocked by a heavy right hand and looked unsteady, yet survived without being dropped.
The second round brought heavier body shots from Okolie, including a clean punch to the midsection that visibly staggered Tetteh. By the end of the round, Tetteh’s hands were low, his back was on the ropes, and his body language suggested he was finished.
Between rounds, Tetteh returned to his corner and declined to continue. The fight was ruled a technical knockout by retirement.
Okolie called for bigger fights afterward, but the performance did little to inspire confidence. Against better heavyweights, these tactics will not be tolerated, and the lack of fluidity will be punished.
Earlier on the card, Tony Yoka needed less than one round to dispose of Patrick Korte. Fighting on the same Lagos card, Yoka landed a clean right uppercut that sent Korte crashing into the ropes. The referee stopped the fight moments later.
It was a straightforward win that kept Yoka active, even if it answered few long-term questions.
