This feature was originally published in Boxing News magazine
HIS right hand hits the mitt with an audible crack. It reverberates through the Peacock gym. Lawrence Okolie is a tall, broad cruiserweight and he hits with real force. With trainer Brian OโShaunnessy he prepares to challenge Luke Watkins for the Commonwealth title in what will only be Okolieโs ninth professional contest. He spoke to Boxing News ahead of that June 6 showdown.
Whatโs on your mind?
Youโre put under a lot of pressure, not only from yourself but from society to perform. To deliver excitement and stuff like that. Sometimes you start focusing on what the world wants from you, you get overwhelmed. You have to focus on what you want from yourself. And what I want from myself is to win and to get a knockout.
It seems to me youโre driving your career forward quite quickly, was it your decision to go for the Isaac Chamberlain fight so soon, to go for the Commonwealth title against Watkins?
Youโve got to push yourself because what people donโt realise is boxingโs not a glamorous life, training day in, day out, no cameras, no lights. Just taking beatings, giving beatings, you want it to be worth something. So what I want it to be worth is titles. A hard fight โ I donโt want it to be a hard fight but I want it to be against good fighters so if Iโm getting up to do the runs that I do, knowing Iโm going to box journeymen, it doesnโt make sense to me. So I have to make it worth something.
How hard has this camp been?
This oneโs been hard. Obviously I had time off after the Chamberlain fight, so getting myself back into training was difficult in the first couple of weeks. Once youโve been training for so long, itโs easy to snap back into it. But ultimately thereโs been good sparring, Iโm in good shape, thatโs it really.
Who have you been sparring with?
For this one I sparred Dereck Chisora, Frazer Clarke, Scott Forrest up at GB, Solomon [Dacres]. Strong guys. Pushing, pulling, putting big shots in. Obviously now itโs sharp work. I donโt feel Luke Watikins is very, very fast. I think heโs good. Good speed, good powerโฆ But heโs not amazing.
What type of fight do you think itโs going to be?
I think itโs going to be two ways. Either itโs going to be vicious or itโs going to be a little bit more cool and technical. I think if he comes out the way heโs come out for his other fights, itโs going to be over in three or four rounds. I expect him to be motivated and having worked on me in particular so it could end up being a little bit more difficult. Itโll be a good fight. Itโs that classic thing with a short worker trying to get in with a tall fighter. So the clash of styles should work well.
Luke Watkins, I donโt want to undermine him because heโs a good fighter, but I personally donโt think heโs ever been in the ring with someone as good as me – thatโs the bottom line โ and with my kind of attributes. Sparring, I mean Chamberlain sparred [Oleksandr] Usyk in the build up to my fight. It means something butโฆ Basically everyone that Iโve sparred in this camp is better than Luke Watkins. I donโt think Luke Watkins has sparred [anyone] better than me in this camp.
Did Chamberlain go into his shell after you caught him early on?
Yes. The same thing is likely to happen to Luke Watkins. Very, very likely. I donโt even consider myself a massive puncher. But I understand people. I can sit here and tell you Iโm going to do this, that and another. But when you get in the ring and someone else is beating on you, it changes your mindsetโฆ Iโve had it myself. Iโve thought Iโm going to do this, that and the other, when you get in the ring, you understand itโs not going to go that way.
I actually thought I was going to stop [Isaac] in the first few rounds. I believed he was going to go for it, if that makes any sense. In the build up we didnโt like each other, I saw his fight with Wadi Camacho, so I thought when the going got tough, he was going to go for it and I was going to stop him. I said in the build up his greatest attribute was his biggest weakness, which is heart and determination. But in the fight he decided not to show it.
Was that fight frustrating in the end?
It was awkward because he kept slipping under my shots. But ultimately I knew
I was winning the fight, I was alright with it. I would be more worried if it was a close fight with Chamberlain. Same with Luke. If itโs a close fight Iโll be a little bit worried.
You must be looking at Matty Askin and the British title?
Heโs ranked top 10 to 12 in the world. So it would be good to win the Commonwealth, probably defend it once, twice and then have the showdown with Askin if heโs still British champion.
He [Askin] is good. Heโs a good, seasoned professional. Heโs not the type of fight you rush because you know, unless you knock him out, itโs going to be a hard fight. He knows what heโs doing, he knows how to move around the ring. He knows how to box. A good fight.