In a move that has both puzzled and angered boxing fans, Lawrence Okolie has been moved up to the number one position in the new WBC heavyweight rankings. Okolie, a former WBO cruiserweight champion as well as a former WBC bridgerweight champion, has boxed just once as a heavyweight, this his December 7th KO win over the little-known Hussein Muhamed, who “The Sauce” took out inside a round.
Since then……nothing. But now, Okolie is the WBC NO1 contender. No wonder the casual boxing fans find it hard following the world rankings. Heck, no wonder the hardcore boxing fans have a tough time following the world rankings. Now, there are critics of all the major governing bodies, for one reason or another, but what the folks at the WBC have done here in ranking Okolie above far more proven and worthy heavyweights, such as Fabio Wardley, Efe Ajagba, Bakhodir Jalolov, and others, really is a head-scratcher.
Okolie, 21-1(21) will now risk his lofty WBC ranking when he fights fellow Londoner Richard Riakporhe in their potentially exciting grudge match on April 5. Assuming he wins that fight, Okolie will no doubt be calling for a world title shot, when in fact, he will not really have done too much to have earned one. Hey, nobody can blame Okolie for where the folks at the WBC choose to rank him, Okolie is just a fighter who fights. But surely even Okolie himself was shocked to see where he is now ranked by Mauricio Sulaiman’s mob!
The new WBC top 15 reads as follows (as of March 8).
1: Lawrence Okolie
2: Anthony Joshua
3: Fabio Wardley
4: Efe Ajagba
5: Martin Bakole
6: Frank Sanchez
7: Zhilei Zhang
8: Bakhodir Jalolov
9: Filip Hrgovic
10: Mourad Aliev
11: Justis Huni
12: Deontay Wilder
13: Andy Ruiz
14: Derek Chisora
15: Guido Vianello.
You may spot some other issues to your dislike and displeasure as far as the new rankings go. Why, for one example, is Wilder – who is winless since October of 2022 – ranked at NO12? Again, some crazy rankings from the WBC, with Okolie’s position at the top of the pile pretty much unexplainable.
