More news on the recently WBC-ordered heavyweight final eliminator between British big men Lawrence Okolie and Moses Itauma. The fight, mandated just hours ago at the ongoing WBC convention in Bangkok, Thailand, would see Itauma and Okolie go at it, providing both men win their upcoming fights – Itauma to fight Jermain Franklin in January, Okolie to fight TBA in Nigeria later this month.
Gallagher: “Lawrence Is Up for It”
And Joe Gallagher: “Lawrence Is Up for It”, trainer of “The Sauce,” says his guy, Okolie, is very much up for the fight. However, as he said when speaking with Sky Sports, Gallagher is far from convinced Okolie, 22-1(16), and Itauma, 13-0(11) will actually fight one another.
But Trainer Doubts It Happens
“I petitioned for him to be made mandatory [challenger]. [Agit] Kabayel’s having a fight in January, [Oleksandr] Usyk, they’re allowing a voluntary [defence]. AJ ranked number-3, and [Daniel] Dubois number-2 weren’t available to fight at the moment, so they made Lawrence against Moses as a final eliminator, which was a surprise,” Gallagher explained. “Whether it happens or not, I’m not sure. I doubt it. But Lawrence is here to fight everyone and anyone, so that’s where we are.”
Did Team Itauma Have Other Plans?
Just why Gallagher is doubtful we will actually see this fight, a most intriguing one, is not clear. Does Gallagher feel Itauma and his team will look to go down a different route? Former cruiserweight and bridgerweight champ Okolie was, we thought, quite close to fighting bad blood rival Dillian Whyte in Nigeria on December 19, but Whyte’s team rejected the “embarrassing” offer.
Now, as he gets ever closer to his fight with TBA, Okolie, who is 2-0(1) as a heavyweight and is coming off a points win over Kevin Lerena, has done what plenty of other fighters have not done, and that’s say yes, bring it on to a fight with Itauma. We fans would sure love to see the fight, and the winner would of course be bang in line for a shot at Usyk (who may or may not face Deontay Wilder in his next fight!)
So, why not? Let’s see how Itauma gets on when he fights the experienced and, if he’s fully motivated, dangerous Franklin in January. As to who Okolie will fight on December 19, there is currently nothing up on BoxRec.