LAWRENCE OKOLIE can breathe a sigh of relief.
After years of talking about moving to heavyweight he is now officially a part of the sport’s marquee division.
The former WBO Cruiserweight and WBC Bridgerweight champion made it official with a double announcement last month. Having fought under the Matchroom and Boxxer banners in recent years Okolie is now a Queensberry fighter and the latest addition to a plethora of heavyweight talent which includes Daniel Dubois and Moses Itauma.
Okolie will make his debut for Frank Warren’s outfit on December 7 against Hussein Mohamed, 18-1 (14 KOs), at Wembley Arena.
Over Zoom Okolie spoke to Boxing News about his happiness at finally joining the heavyweights.
“No more making weight,” he said.
“I’m still getting aggro for eating cakes and stuff, which I thought was the whole point of heavyweight, but I guess not.”
The conversation shifted to cake with Okolie’s preference being a Victoria Sponge or Red Velvet. But Okolie knows, after being caught eating one, that he can’t just fill his face with whatever he wants despite being free of the chore of making weight.
“My manager was in the restaurant that we have,” he recalled.
“He’s my business partner and has access to the cameras. I was there, just minding my business. I ordered an omelette, some other bits and bobs. I’m coming to start sparring and I said, ‘You know, oh my god, there’s a new cake in here, let me try it.’ And then I got a Red Velvet. I was eating, and it was glorious. And I got a message and he’s like, ‘Cake for breakfast?’ And I was like, ‘Where is he?’ And I realised he could see the cameras, so I had to stop eating.
“I have to delay gratification, and then after camp, I’ll have a big Christmas and New Year, and then go into a massive fight. But I’m not overlooking this guy. I have to beat him.”
Okolie has enjoyed a satisfying career so far with a couple of bumps along the way. The former Team GB member and 2016 Olympian knows all too well about big fight nights and how to handle the big occasion. But the heavyweight division is almost a separate entity and creates a different type of magic on fight night.
Over the last 12 months we have seen the sport’s big guys come alive with various match-ups between top contenders and world title fights which culminated in Oleksandr Usyk becoming undisputed champion. It’s a memorable period for a weight class that this century has often been disappointing.
Okolie, as a fan, has been keeping an eye on the goings on.
“When it was AJ, Wilder and Fury – if they boxed each other – you’re lucky enough to get a fight with one of them. Whereas now, you see a lot of people getting great opportunities, a lot of people are having great fights. There’s been great fight after great fight in the heavyweight division. You can’t escape from a great fight in the heavyweight division. There’s fatigue, there’s puncher power, there’s grit, there’s determination.”
Winning the WBC Bridgerweight belt has rewarded Okolie with a top five heavyweight ranking. His one-round blowout of Lukasz Rozanski in May was a confidence booster for ‘The Sauce’ after the disappointment in Bournemouth 18 months ago against Chris Billam-Smith. Losing his world cruiserweight title, however, may yet prove to be a blessing in disguise for Okolie.
When the first bell sounds for Okolie’s heavyweight debut Joe Gallagher will be in the corner for their second fight together. At first it seemed an unlikely partnership but Okolie’s destructive win against Rozanski showed signs – albeit against inferior opposition – that the Manchester trainer might bring out the heavy handed knockout artist which Okolie has shown glimpses of in the past.
Okolie is enjoying a new lease of life under Gallagher.
Okolie revealed what Gallagher has instilled in him during their time together.
“It’s more mental than anything else. Because one thing that he drilled into me – and I want to show in December and then going forwards – is I’ve got all this ability and I’m super comfortable. I put in really good work, I can take on information well and execute. But then sometimes I would overthink stuff.
“What I found is like, ‘Oh, I need to find the perfect counter.’ Or if I do, what’s he going to do? I’m just doing too much algebra and I’m playing 3D chess when you only need to play chess. And then you end up coming unstuck because the other person’s not playing that same game, they’re just trying to have a fight. So you overthink what they’re doing and then you miss out on opportunities to do your thing. So it’s really good.”
Those who have followed Okolie’s career know there are two sides to him. One where he lets his hands go and the other that turns fights into an eyesore. So will we see the former moving forward?
“Definitely. I’ve got no other choice,” he replied.
“The challenge I’m going to have with heavyweights is that they’re all going to be bigger than I am nine times out of ten. They’re going to maybe be heavier handed and they’re going to be expecting to kind of step on me like, ‘Oh, he’s just a cruiserweight.’ So I’m going to need to gain their respect. And the only way to do that is with action. I’m not going to talk myself into, hey, if you hit me, watch what I do. I need to actually show it in the ring. So the good thing about that is it’s going to force me. If I want to defend myself and win fights, I’m going to have to put in some damage. And then hopefully gain a reputation at heavyweight.”
There is a more relaxed nature to Okolie. A happiness, a smile that has been missing. Perhaps getting to heavyweight has been the answer all along. But to get there he has had to endure like all fighters. To suffer and to sacrifice is part of the deal but Okolie is here and wants to be a problem for the heavyweight division. Okolie has his own theory why he feels different nowadays.
“I think boxing is more about proving stuff to myself, number one. And then number two, obviously not having to make weight is massive. And number three, being the underdog. It’s created a whole new, exciting feel.
“It’s dangerous. I feel like an adrenaline junkie. Even the fight I’m going into next, although I expect to stop this guy, it’s still a 250-260 pound guy.
“He’s going to be in the ring throwing punches, and he’s going to be knocked out. I feel like an adrenaline junkie, the danger factor’s there. But when I win, how good is it going to look? As opposed to when I was beating all of these hard, f*****g cruiserweights from Eastern Europe.”
