Lawrence Okolie is not just confident of making the leap to world-title glory on Saturday - he’s ready to do it in the grandest manner.
‘The Sauce’ says he will claim the vacant WBO cruiserweight title by stopping Krzysztof Glowacki, live on Sky Sports in the UK and on DAZN around the world.
Lawrence, now 28, has endured a frustrating three months waiting for his chance to reach the top of the mountain at 200lbs.
This bout had been scheduled for the Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev undercard at Wembley Arena back in December. But Glowacki was ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19.
Okolie (15-0 with 12 wins inside distance) instead stayed busy, and on course for his title shot, by crushing Poland’s Nikodem Jezewski inside two rounds.
Okolie a rising star
The man from Hackney has been just about punch perfect since turning pro back in 2017, and he admits he has come a long way in a relatively short space of time.
He explained: “Five years ago I was in Hackney and had no real plan or idea. I was boxing but I wasn’t on the GB team and I’d never had an international fight.
“I was just boxing and working. Five years down the line I’ve become a Team GB boxer, gone to the Olympics, turned pro and won all of these Titles. Now I’m fighting for a world title.
"It feels like it’s going to be a massive statement winning this fight, not just for me but for the area that I come from, the type of person that I am and people that have dealt with bullying.
“I’m not here to be a hero or anything like that but I’ve had to deal with a lot of stuff, and a lot of people can relate to those kinds of struggles. It’s nice to know that people are motivated by it.
“It will be entertaining for fans because there’s going to be someone trying to really put it on me. I believe I’m going to win by stoppage. I’m just excited to watch the highlights of the fight afterwards to see what shot I did it with.
“This is his opportunity to win what he believes is his title back. He can be as strong as he likes against whoever he’s boxed so far but there’s no physical chance he’s stronger than me.”
A formality
While Glowacki (31-2) is absolutely no pushover (his only pro defeats have come against Oleksandr Usyk and Mairis Briedis), Okolie is utterly convinced that there is no way he can fail come Saturday night.
He is currently trading as a 2/7 favourite with Sky Bet, while Glowacki is an 11/4 shot.
"Although he’s got a lot of attributes, I can’t see any of them working against me. I think he’ll be confident. He’s a game guy and probably thinks it’s my first time at world level. One of my main attributes is my mental toughness. I have the ability to cope with any fight. I look forward to it.
“This has been a long time coming. It’s been a year since I knew that I was mandatory for the World Title. I’ve been mentally preparing for this for a year.
“We’ve had to deal with lockdowns and now I’m excited to get it over and done with, get the victory and become a world champion. Physically I’m getting into my prime now. Mentally, I’ve dealt with the excitement of the occasion.
“Now it’s just a formality.”
While Okolie Glowacki tops Saturday night’s bill, there is plenty of fascinating action lined up on the undercard too.
- Liverpool super-welterweight Anthony Fowler (13-1) returns against Spain's Jorge Fortea (21-2-1) with the WBA International Title on the line
- Welsh super-featherweight Joe Cordina (11-0) meets Belgium's Faroukh Kourbanov (17-2) for the WBA Continental Title
- Bournemouth cruiserweight Chris Billam-Smith (11-1) faces Vasil Ducar (9-3-1)
- Ramla Ali (1-0) has her second professional fight
- Catford's Ellie Scotney (1-0) meets Mailys Gangloff (4-1)
- Stretford middleweight Bradley Rea (9-0) takes on Bournemouth's Lee Cutler (7-0)
