A fight that offered so much potential turned out to be a twelve-round procession that saw Isaac Chamberlain (15-2, 8 KO's) dethrone Mikael Lawal (17-0, 11 KO's) and become British and Commonwealth cruiserweight champion at York Hall, London.
Lawal-Chamberlain was upgraded to main event status following the postponement of the anticipated light-heavyweight encounter between Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez and saw the venue switch from the O2 Arena to the York Hall.
Isaac Chamberlain started the contest confidently behind the jab and, at the halfway point of the opening round, could pin Lawal, who had a passive opening round, sizing up Chamberlain without committing anything going forward.
Chamberlin would continue pushing the pace of the contest into the second found, and what was telling was the seep afoot of Chamberlain compared to Lawal. Lawal remained cagey as Chamberlain was able to push Lawal back towards the ropes on multiple occasions.
Lawal would start the third by attempting to enforce himself on Chamberlain to little effect, bar a left hook that briefly stopped Chamberlain in his tracks in the opening minute. However, Chamberlain would finish very strong with a barrage of punches, with Lawal trapped again on the ropes and unwilling to trade with Chamberlin.
The fourth frame was a replay of the third round, Chamberlain moving forward. Lawal would finally edge his way back into the contest in the fifth by throwing with Chamberlain at close quarters and landing a lovely left hook at the halfway point. Chamberlain would finish the round strong by pinning Lawal on the ropes and sinking several body shots in the final thirty seconds of the round.
Chamberlain would stun Lawal with a long right straight hand halfway through the sixth as Lawal sought to put the pressure on Chamberlain. Seven was a more attritional affair, with the pair exchanging shots at close quarters, but saw Chamberlain finish strong with a late unanswered flurry till the bell rang.
Round eight would see again a round fought at close quarters with, the highlight of which saw Lawal land a long straight right hand, which saw the head of Chamberlain jolt backwards.
Chamberlain would reaffirm himself back onto the front foot, landing plenty of short punches up close, with Lawal becoming increasingly flustered, knowing that he had little in his arsenal to respond with anything of note.
The tenth saw Chamberlain return back to the jab and was able to pick off Lawal, who was desperate to land his right hand. Lawal could land a few body shots, the first ones he threw with authority in the contest. Round eleven saw Chamberlain once again dominate and make Lawal miss wildly and counter the British champion. Lawal would go hell for leather in the final round, attempting to secure an unlikely knockout. Still, Chamberlain was again able to make Lawal miss wide and crudely to see out the final round and secure himself the British and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles.
The result was never in doubt on behalf of Chamberlain, who scored a unanimous decision with scores of 119-111 and two scores of 118-111.
