Source: Alamy Stock Photo
The two-weight world champion reveals why he has decided to partner with promoter Frank Warren and looks ahead to potential opponents in 2025.
Lawrence Okolie has revealed his ambition of becoming a three-division world champion after confirming his move to the heavyweight division.
In our exclusive interview, the 2016 Olympian explains why he decided to join Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren before previewing a possible showdown with IBF heavyweight world champion Daniel Dubois.
Okolie also gives his opinion on the next move for Anthony Joshua, and Tyson Fury’s upcoming fight with Oleksandr Usyk, which the Ukrainian is the favourite to win in the boxing betting.
What made you join Frank Warren?
I have an opportunity to become a three-weight world champion and the time and the place to do it is with Frank Warren in 2025. I’m now at that age and stage of my career where I roll the dice and roll it at a higher weight to do something absolutely legendary.
It’s fantastic that I have won two world championships and have been in world championship fights for the last four years. But now it’s time to go and win the third one in the most prestigious weight class.
What was your experience like with Ben Shalom?
With Sky, that’s where I started my career and had some great times and some great fights. It was great to be on the network, but the reality is, in this current climate in terms of getting heavyweight fights you want to be somewhere where if you’re good enough and win then you will get some massive opportunities (by joining Frank Warren).
It was great to be fighting on Sky and I managed to pick up another world title with Boxxer so that was good and now it’s time to see if I can get the third. It would be good to win a world championship with each promoter of the major British promoters (Boxxer, Matchroom, and Queensberry) with Eddie, Ben, and now Frank. I might be the first person to do that.
What’s the plan for 2025?
It depends on what happens in December with the world titles but whichever way is going to get me the most explosive route to the world title. I like being in world championship fights where everything is on the line, so I want to do it again and treat it the same. I know it’s a different weight class and they’re big boys but I need to get in there and get it done.
You’re in the top five with the WBC, but would you fight for a different version of the world title if the opportunity presents itself?
We know when it comes to heavyweight world titles the WBC is the most recognised title. You’ve had Tyson Fury and Lennox Lewis hold the title and I’ve just won a world title with them so that would be fantastic to be the first bridgerweight and heavyweight world champion with the WBC. That can only be done with the WBC. They’ve been very good to me from when I won the world title to now, so I’d like to win the green and gold belt.
What if Daniel Dubois is there for a fight in February?
Yes of course I would take the fight, that would be the ideal scenario. But I like to be realistic so that’s why I say I need to have this fight in December, have a big heavyweight fight next year, and then challenge for the world title. But if being with Frank Warren ended up working out where I fight Dubois next then of course. The quickest route to the world title is my aim and what’s stopping me from winning that fight and then going on to unify for the WBC title.
What do you make of Daniel Dubois?
He’s a great fighter and is one of those generational fighters who is a great puncher and has great consistency. I remember training with him for a couple of years and saw him at the GB team then with Shane McGuigan and am now watching him from a distance winning great fights.
He’s a great fighter but there are ways to beat him as we have seen in the past. The main thing is, if I am fighting Daniel then straight away what we are not having is a ‘you hit me’ and ‘I hit you’ fight especially in the first six rounds. I’ve got the experience and temperament to handle that fight, but we will just take it one day at a time.
It’s the same when I move to heavyweight, I know already how to deal with it because these guys are going to be thinking they can walk through a smaller former cruiserweight and bridgerweight so I have to quickly show them that it is a completely different game now. I’m eating how I want, lifting how I want, and punching how I want. It’s been great working with Joe, and I believe he is the man to get me to two world championships which is good.
What should Anthony Joshua do next – should he wait for Tyson Fury?
If he is injured and can’t do the Daniel Dubois rematch then I would definitely go for it. If Anthony Joshua is injured and can’t fight in February and wants to fight Daniel Dubois in a rematch, then he won’t fight him until August or around that so I would go into another fight.
If Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are fighting in December, then they may be back out in May or June so it could work out well for him to have a mega-fight with Fury or the winner. At the end of the day, it is about winning world titles and if he wants to win a world title then try and get an opportunity elsewhere and then run it back with Dubois in a unification.
If Tyson Fury beats Oleksandr Usyk, faces Joshua, and defeats him, do you think AJ should retire?
That’s up to him, I can’t really speak for AJ on whether he should retire or not but I think if you can’t compete at the highest level then if it was me in that position, I wouldn’t continue boxing. AJ may have a different outlook on boxing and different goals. It’s hard to say.
