What happened between Eddie Hearn and Lawrence Okolie? Boxer releases statement

Lawrence Okolie and Eddie Hearn have now officially parted ways.

'The Sauce' formally parted ways with Matchroom Boxing last December. On social media, Okolie announced his plans to become a free agent, and also quickly began taking shots at Matchroom Boxing, with the cruiserweight famously taking a lot of shots at Eddie Hearn.

For his part, the promoter was less than happy about the situation. Hearn stated that Okolie was still under contract with him, but would be willing to eventually let him go. As a result of the contractual situation, the two have been involved in a legal battle for the last six months.

Over the weekend, Lawrence Okolie made his return to the ring against Chris Billiam-Smith. There, he suffered an upset loss after being knocked down several times in the WBO championship bout. At the end of 12 rounds of boxing, Okolie suffered the first loss of his career by majority decision.

Just a few short days after that loss, he released a statement regarding Eddie Hearn. Taking to social media, Okolie announced that his legal battle with Matchroom Boxing was now over. The statement was quite kind to the promoter, and their time together.

Furthermore, Okolie also mentioned that due to the terms of their legal battle, he can't discuss much. However, this is a new start for the cruiserweight contender.

See Okolie's statement regarding Hearn below:

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Lawrence Okolie discusses recent upset loss

Lawrence Okolie is hopeful that a rematch with Chris Billiam-Smith is in his future.

'The Sauce' suffered the first loss of his career over the weekend. Biliam-Smith entered Saturday's WBO title fight a considerable underdog, but it didn't appear that way on fight night.

In the cruiserweight championship bout, Okolie was knocked down three times. While the champion showed guts and heart by getting back up off the canvas, he wound up suffering the first loss of his career by majority decision.

Just a short time after that loss, Lawrence Okolie discussed his future in an interview with Sky Sports. The former cruiserweight champion stated that he plans to have the rematch, stating:

"This is boxing. The main thing I know is I'm down but I'm not out. It was a good performance from Chris. But there was nothing in there that made me think he's unbelievable or whatever else. It was just a good performance. He put everything on the line and he got his reward for it, but I will definitely be pushing for a rematch."