Like plenty of other people, heavyweight contender, former WBO cruiserweight champ and former WBC bridgerweight champion Lawrence Okolie, feels the world heavyweight titles will become fragmented later this year. “The Sauce,” as Okolie is known, thinks unified four-belt ruler Oleksandr Uysk – who has said himself he will have one more fight before looking at retirement – will relinquish the belts this year.
And Okolie, who is the No1 ranked WBC heavyweight contender, says he will be in prime position to fight for one of the vacant titles; with Okolie, now 2-0(1) as a heavyweight looking at the WBC title in particular. Speaking with Sky Sports, Okolie said that while no fight is “off limits,” he is eyeing a fight with unbeaten German Kabayel, the current WBC interim champion.
“I think Usyk will relinquish the belts, but I don’t think it will happen until the end of the year,” Okolie said. “I think the belts become fragmented and I’m in position to slip in there. I want to be in prime position, fit, ready when it does happen. Kabayel’s interim world champion so if Usyk were to relinquish he would automatically become full world champion. God willing I maintain my No1 ranking then I will be the mandatory for that fight. He’s a good fighter. But I don’t think you can win a heavyweight world title without beating a good fighter. Any heavyweight around at the moment now I look at as a potential heavyweight. I believe in myself, I believe I’m going to be able to get my hands on that world title.”
Could Kabayel Be Okolie’s Mandatory First Test?
A fight between Okolie, 22-1(16) and Kabayel, 26-0(18) would for sure be an interesting one, and maybe a pretty explosive one. Kabayel has shown wicked body punching skills, while Okolie really has grown into the heavyweight division big-time. Right now, though, everyone is waiting to see just what Usyk decides to do. Maybe Usyk will agree to one of his mandatories, maybe he will not.
In terms of another guy Okolie says he is interested in facing, this is fellow Brit Fabio Wardley. Wardley came within a whisker of losing last time out, before his last-gasp KO punch arrived against Justis Huni. Okolie said he finds this fight interesting for two reasons: Wardley is also highly ranked and he is British.
Is a British Clash with Wardley on the Horizon?
“It would be Kabayel [next],” Okolie said. “Aside from [him], it would probably be Fabio Wardley. The reason why that one’s interesting is because he’s a British fighter, who’s 19-0-1 with 18 KO’s. He’s explosive, and it’s a fight where I have to be at my best to win. I like that one.”
Okolie, who scored a dominant decision win over Kevin Lerena at the weekend, has also said it’s possible he and Daniel Dubois could fight somewhere down the road. For now, though, Dubois faces a potentially tough rebuild after that crushing loss to Usyk.
Can Okolie win a world title, and if so, who might his opportunity come against?
