Lawrence Okolie is targeting a fight against WBC interim heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel. He believes that a fight with the unbeaten Kabayel (26-0, 18 KOs) is going to happen.
Mismatch on the Horizon
If that fight happens, Okolie would be a huge underdog and would need a miracle to get the victory. Kabayel isn’t one of the mediocre fighters that Lawrence built his 22-win record on. He has actual talent and would make easy work of an uncoordinated, unskilled fighter like him.
Okolie (22-1, 16 KOs) is the #1 ranked WBC contender, and is in position to fight for the title once it’s vacated by the current champion Oleksandr Usyk. He’s unlikely to get a title shot against Usyk, as he lacks the popularity to make him a worthwhile target for the soon-to-be-retired champ.
Kabayel to Expose Okolie
It would be a nightmare for the gangly 6’5″ Lawrence to go up against a solid fighter like Kabayel. The former WBO cruiserweight champion, Okolie, didn’t look impressive in his last fight against Kevin Lerena on July 19th. That performance showed that Lawrence hasn’t improved at all since leaving the cruiserweight division. He’s still the same awkward, unskilled clincher that he’d been before moving up to the heavyweight division in 2024.
“Whether it’s next or the immediate one after, I think me and Kabayel are going to fight,” said Lawrence Okolie to Ring Magazine. “I don’t see anyone else calling out Kabayel in the world.”
Okolie’s Rapid Weight Gain
What’s surprising is how much weight Okolie has put on in one year. He’s gone from weighing 199 for his last fight at cruiserweight in May 2023 to 262 lbs for his fight last month. What on earth has Okolie been eating to put on 62 lbs in a year and a half?
It’s not all muscle. He looks like he’s been feeding at fast food joints, and he’s slower than he’d been before moving up. It would be one thing if Okolie’s power had increased, but he’s gained nothing in the strength department.