LAWRENCE OKOLIE will fight on the Oleksandr Usyk-Daniel Dubois II undercard on July 19 at Wembley Stadium. Promoter Queensberry announced the 32-year-old will face Kevin Lerena over 12 rounds. Okolie, no stranger to Wembley, fought there in 2018 as a cruiserweight, defeating Matty Askin to claim the British title.
Now campaigning at heavyweight, Okolie, 21-1 (16 KOs), is the WBC’s number one contender. Since joining trainer Joe Gallagher, he has returned to devastating form, securing back-to-back first-round knockouts against Lukasz Rozanski and Hussein Muhamed.
Lerena, 31-3 (15 KOs), who has competed at cruiserweight and heavyweight, is remembered by British fans for his 2022 thriller against Daniel Dubois at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Despite flooring Dubois three times in the first round, Lerena was stopped in the third. Since then, he has won three of four fights, with his only loss a valiant effort against Justis Huni, who was knocked out by Fabio Wardley last weekend in the ninth round.
The undercard also features an intriguing light-heavyweight clash between unbeaten prospects Daniel Lapin and Lewis Edmondson, both 11-0. Ukraine’s Lapin aims to bolster Team Usyk before the main event, while Edmondson, nicknamed ‘The Saint’, has gained momentum since defeating Dan Azeez in October 2024 to win the British title. He added the Commonwealth belt in March with a points victory over Oluwatosin Kejawa.
Ranked #15 and #14 in the IBF light-heavyweight rankings, respectively, Lapin and Edmondson know a win could propel them closer to a world title shot.
