LAWRENCE Okolie has put himself in a strong position to face the winner of Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel’s eagerly anticipated clash on February 22.
The 32-year-old recorded a career-highest weight last month, bursting onto the heavyweight scene with a blistering first-round finish over Hussein Muhamed.
But despite adding an extra 60 lbs to his long frame, the former world cruiserweight champion seemed as explosive and fleet-footed as ever, even if just for a brief moment.
Soon after his emphatic performance, Okolie was elevated to fourth place in the WBC rankings, sitting below Tyson Fury, Zhang and Kabayel.
Meanwhile, bona fide heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk, the sanctioning body’s champion, is yet to reveal his next move after outpointing Fury for the second time in 2024.
In any case, Okolie could emerge as a frontrunner to challenge for the WBC crown later this year, depending mostly on whether Usyk chooses to resume his heavyweight supremacy.
The Ukrainian, should he keep hold of the green and gold belt, will be ordered to face the winner of Zhang vs Kabayel in a mandatory title defence.
This is because Zhang and Kabayel will lock horns for the WBC interim title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, appearing on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s rematch.
Both heavyweight contenders are arguably coming off their career-best victories, too, with ‘Big Bang’ dispatching Deontay Wilder and his upcoming opponent producing a seventh-round stoppage over Frank Sanchez.
If Usyk’s title becomes vacant, though, it is likely that Okolie would be accelerated towards a title shot sooner than expected.
