Lawrence Okolie faces Michal Cieslak in a rare Sunday night treat for boxing fans, and the British fighter is expected to impress with a late stoppage.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday February 26
2pts Josh Taylor to win in rounds 7-12 at 7/4 (William Hill)
1pt Lawrence Okolie to win in rounds 7-12 at 2/1 (bet 365)
Okolie set for Sunday success
We are treated to some Sunday night action as LAWRENCE OKOLIE defends his WBO Cruiserweight title against Michal Cieslak, live on DAZN.
The O2 Arena has just reopened after the damage caused by Storm Eunice and Cieslak could feel the full force of Storm Okolie at the Greenwich venue, which has been a happy hunting ground for the Hackney man.
Okolie has made giant strides forward since linking up with coach Shane McGuigan and arrives here in search of an eighth straight stoppage victory. The ugly points wins against Isaac Chamberlain and Matty Askin in 2018 seem a long time ago now, as he has learnt to control the distance better and make full use of his long levers. That was no more apparent than when he won the title against Krzysztof Glowacki 11 months ago, as he broke down the experienced Pole before stopping him in brutal fashion in the sixth round.
A three-round blowout of Dilan Prasovic followed in September, and he is a 1/7 chance to overcome Cieslak, who can be backed at 11/2 and represents Okolie's third Polish opponent in his last four outings.
On paper, Cieslak could be Okolie's biggest test to date, having only lost once in 22 fights and he went the distance with the big-punching Ilunga Makabu in that sole defeat when challenging for the WBC strap.
The challenger, who concedes height and reach here, is aggressive and will look to get inside where he can score well with either hand. The 32-year-old has stopped 15 of his 21 victims so clearly has the power to hurt Okolie and commands respect. However, that defeat to Makabu in Kinshasa was the only time he has fought outside of Poland and his second road trip could result in another defeat here, given the upward curve Okolie is on.
Cieslak has never been down and the 3/1 about a decision win for Okolie could be a touch too big, but the power of the champion continues to really impress, and I fancy him become the first man to stop his opponent. That is 8/15 at best but more appealing is 13/8 for OKOLIE TO WIN IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE FIGHT, as Cieslak is fancied to provide plenty of resistance before succumbing to the heavy blows of the favourite.
Saturday preview
A brilliant February has more than made up for British boxing's dry January and it continues with a cracking double-header this weekend.
Two of the UK's brightest stars are in action on home soil against good opponents, but ones they are both expected to shine against.
We'll start on Saturday as JOSH TAYLOR makes his homecoming in Glasgow against Jack Catterall in front of the Sky Sports cameras. It's an interesting domestic battle and Catterall deserves his shot, but such is the run of form that Taylor is on right now that it's hard to see the belts leaving Scotland.
Taylor became the first British fighter to hold all four recognised word titles at once with a brilliant performance against the previously unbeaten Jose Carlos Ramirez in May, when twice dropping the American and taking his WBO and WBC belts via a unanimous decision.
But taking someone's '0' has become the norm for Taylor, having won the World Boxing Super Series with three excellent wins over Ryan Martin (TKO 7), Ivan Baranchyk (UD) and Regis Prograis (MD), before a first-round stoppage of Apinun Khongsong set him up for the Ramirez fight. In fact, Taylor's last six opponents had a combined record of 136-1 and he has become the undisputed super lightweight champion in just 18 professional fights.
Top-class Taylor best of the Brits
To go with those hugely impressive stats, he has looked very good in doing it and the 31-year-old is, in my opinion, the best fighter Britain has right now, so why is he barely known outside of boxing circles? That is probably because he wasn't aligned to a big promotor or major television network, but his link up with Top Rank means he now gets to showcase his skills on the Sky Sports platform and hopefully that will lead to the wider recognition he deserves.
Yet another unbeaten fighter is in the opposite corner here in the shape of Catterall, a mandatory challenger who stepped aside in order for the unification clash with Ramirez to happen and he now finally gets his opportunity to show what he can do. Odds of 9/1 tell you the size of the task on his hands here, with Taylor a top price of 1/10 and as short as 1/25.
The challenger has worked his way up the rankings and the champion needs to take him seriously. Catterall has beaten good domestic opponents such as Tyrone Nurse and Tyrone Mckenna and arrives on the back of a couple of clear-cut points wins over international opposition.
However, the 27-year-old's CV does not come close to matching up with Taylor's and that is highlighted by how they fared against their one common opponent. The pair fought Ohara Davies 15 months apart and while Taylor made the Londoner quit after seven one-sided rounds in 2017, Catterall just outpointed Davies in their 2018 contest that produced little action.
Catterall has had more professional bouts than Taylor, but it is the latter man who has more experience, having been fast-tracked after winning gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and he has proven himself against world-class opposition time and again. This represents a big step up in class for Catterall and while you never really know the ceiling of an unbeaten fighter, the Chorley native has yet to prove he is capable on the world stage.
While Catterall doesn't have one standout attribute, he does most things well, but he is coming up against a man who does everything very well. Taylor is a supremely talented all-rounder and the 31-year-old is happy boxing at range, using his excellent footwork and sharp jab, but is also extremely capable up close and is a very smart inside fighter.
The big left hand of Catterall demands respect and it can do damage if it lands, but that is undoubtedly his best shot, whereas the favourite has terrific array of shots in his arsenal. He can do damage with any punch in the book and unless the Scot has overlooked his opponent, it's hard to see anything but Taylor registering win number 19.
Catterall has shown patience in waiting for this opportunity and is also patient inside the ring, but that could be his downfall here. The underdog can be a little one-paced at times as he looks to counter his opponents and may struggle when the champion goes through the gears. Taylor has a tremendous engine and is known for coming on strong after halfway, which is when he could overwhelm his man here.
The two southpaws could produce a cagey fight early doors but I expect it to really heat up in the middle rounds and for Taylor to then show his superior class. The champion is just 4/6 to stop Catterall, but he is unlikely to do so early and the 7/4 available about Taylor getting the job done IN ROUNDS 7-12 rates much better value. He is spiteful in the ring and won't let up if he senses he can stop his man.
Posted at 1500 GMT on 25/02/22
How to watch Taylor v Catterall
This clash will be broadcast on Sky Sports Action from 7:00pm and Sky Sports Main Event from 8:00pm, with the main event expected to begin around 10.30pm.
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