LAST time we spoke, London’s Andaz Hotel was the location for a Magnificent Seven press conference previewing a busy bill as Queensberry had title fights aplenty across several weight divisions in what Frank Warren described as a pre-Christmas cracker.
It’s why highly-regarded head coach Joe Gallagher subconsciously knows, before it’s even been asked, a question headed his way.
Lawrence Okolie made his promotional debut a memorable one, reeling off another first-round knockout (2:14) against former sparring partner and overmatched opponent Hussein Muhamed on December 7. The finish was fast-and-furious, racking up over 400,000 YouTube views and trending across social media channels.
So when will he make his return in 2025 and has the Mancunian been pleased with what he’s seeing in the gym?
“March. Yeah, I was really surprised when he came to me, just how little he did do, he’s done everything I’ve asked and it’s paying off. I wanted his mindset to be someone at heavyweight, stop blaming making weight for poor performances, no excuses now so go in there, let the right hand go and show them [fans, critics] what we’re seeing in the gym week-in, week-out.”
Okolie won the WBO world cruiserweight title against Krzysztof Glowacki in March 2021 and successfully made a trio of defences before suffering a first pro defeat (MD12) by former gymmate Chris Billam-Smith last May, after which he moved up in weight and knocked out Lukasz Rozanski inside a round twelve months later to win the WBC bridgerweight title.
Having flirted with a heavyweight move for several years and unsatisfied by criticism, boxing in a newly-launched weight class only recognised by the WBC, described as super-cruiserweight, the Hackney man belatedly made the plunge to join the sport’s glamour division.
After all, he’s sparred a who’s who of heavyweights – established stars and rising prospects – including 11-0 pro Moses Itauma. On the topic of an exciting talent who turns 20 this weekend, Gallagher likes what he has seen over the past year.
“Frank [Warren] told me how good he was a year ago, he’s since changed trainers and is with Ben [Davison] now but is a confident kid taking everything in stride. There’s an air of expectancy around him that the inevitable will happen, just gotta keep his mindset straight – still a baby – he’s hungry, Lawrence sparred him and said he can whack, so yeah he’s special.”
Some fans were quick to ridicule Okolie’s fighting shape and suspect conditioning levels against Muhamed, only previously seeing him box at the 200lb limit before last summer. He’s gained 60lbs – not all of it muscle – but while the aesthetics need some work, Lawrence looks more comfortable and stressed the all-or-nothing jeopardy will produce more action too.
Last month he praised Gallagher for giving him the mental freedom to not overthink as much, instead absorbing information before executing a gameplan. Being an underdog against more established names is an unfamiliar concept he’s relishing, while becoming a three-weight world champion is among aspirations for a 32-year-old in his physical peak now.
Speaking after super-featherweight prospect Mohammed Alakel’s second pro win on the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 undercard this past Saturday, Gallagher told BN: “Lawrence didn’t go the distance but he won, he’s doing what we’ve asked, two first-round knockouts and if you compare last year December to tonight… he’s here bouncing around, now #4 with the WBC, watching opposition and will be ready for the big fights after March or April time.”
#2 ranked WBC contender Agit Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) will box Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) on a stacked February 22 bill in Riyadh, with those rankings set to update again next month after #1 Fury suffered a second successive defeat by Usyk.
Okolie has previously been linked with names such as Dillian Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) and Michael Hunter (23-1, 16 KOs), but whatever the ultimate decision, it’s clear he needs another genuine step up before venturing towards the deep end.
