Lawrence Okolie’s Bold Move: Bridging Weight Classes and Chasing Heavyweight Glory
Lawrence Okolie (19-1, 14 KOs) is looking to move on from his first professional defeat that saw him lose his world title.
The former cruiserweight champion returns to the ring in Rzeszów, Poland, on May 24. Opposing him will be Łukasz Różański (15-0, 14 KOs), a Polish fighter recognized by the WBC as their bridgerweight champion. Bridgerweight (upper limit 224 lbs) is a weight class recognized only by the WBA and WBC. Both the WBO and IBF refuse to do so.
The clash will be Okolie’s first bout since a unanimous decision loss to Chris Billam-Smith in May last year. Since then, Okolie has made some changes and hopes the big fights will come once he gets back to winning ways.
Lawrence Okolie: Bridging Weight Classes and Chasing Glory
Lawrence Okolie Links up With New Trainer
Among the changes the former champion has made is who trains him. Formerly trained by SugarHill Steward and Shane McGuigan before that, Okolie now works with Joe Gallagher. He has been working with Gallagher in Saudi Arabia and the Champs Camp gym in Manchester, England.
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“It’s come at the right time,” said Okolie to Sky Sports. “New weight class, new energy, new trainer. I’m ready to take the bridgerweight then heavyweight scene by storm.”
“He [Gallagher] put me through session after session after session just the worst kind. What he said to me afterwards was: ‘I just wanted to see if you really wanted it still.’ I do, so that’s good.”
Heavyweight Aspirations
In speaking to Sky Sports, Okolie also revealed his desire to compete at heavyweight. Having sparred the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker, he now wants to move up at some point. One potential clash he looks forward to is against a fellow Brit.
“Dillian Whyte’s now back,” Okolie said. “Obviously everyone knows from back when I was Commonwealth and British champion I wanted that fight so that’s definitely one on my radar. Outside of that we’ll see what the landscape looks like.”
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“I’ve been looking at the heavyweights and seeing how much fun they’ve been having up there. I want to have a go as well.”
How the remainder of Okolie’s career pans out will depend on his performance against Różański. An impressive win will certainly open doors for the former Olympian. However, a loss will be difficult to come back from. The impact of Okolie’s changes remains to be seen.
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.
