Mikael Lawal

Lawal was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He moved to the UK and France at age one and lived there until he was 13 when went back to Nigeria with his mother, who died a short while later. Lawal, then aged 14, moved in with his father and stepmother but ran away from home due to difficulties in the household. He lived in Paris before moving London. He lived on the streets for a short period before visiting the British High Commission, after which he was placed in an orphanage and eventually returned to the UK at age 16.^[3]

After only nine amateur bouts, Lawal had his first professional fight at York Hall in London on 22 April 2017, stopping Jindrich Velecky in the first round.^[3] He signed a long-term promotional contract with Team Sauerland in July 2017.^[4]

With a 16 fight unbeaten record, Lawal was scheduled to face Deion Jumah for the vacant British cruiserweight title at Alexandra Palace in London on 27 November 2022. However, Jumah suffered a career-ending eye injury while sparring in training camp and withdrew less than two weeks before the contest.^[5][6] Lawal fought late replacement David Jamieson and claimed the title when his opponent retired after the eighth round due to a jaw injury.^[7][8]

Back at York Hall on 21 October 2023, he lost the title in his first defense, suffering a unanimous decision defeat against Isaac Chamberlain in a bout where the vacant Commonwealth cruiserweight championship was also up for grabs.^[9][10]

In his next fight, Lawal challenged English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley at The O2 Arena in London on 31 March 2024, losing by unanimous decision.^[11][12]