Britain’s Lawrence Okolie, who previously held the WBO cruiserweight title and also the WBC bridgerweight belt, will box his heavyweight debut on Frank Warren’s December 7 “Magnificent 7″ card in London.
Okolie, 20-1(15), will face once-beaten German fighter Hussein Muhamed, who is currently 18-1(14). A big guy at a little over 6′ 5,” Muhamed has been beaten by Zhan Kossobutskiy, who stopped him back in November of last year, Muhamed having won one fight since then As Okolie’s first test at heavyweight, this isn’t a bad matchup. It will be interesting to see how Okolie performs here with the additional weight and muscle.
Certainly, Okolie has the physical dimensions to be a heavyweight; at 6’5” himself and with a reach of 82 inches, the Londoner would hold both height and reach advantages over current world heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk, for one. But has Okolie got the stuff, or the sauce, to be able to make a real dent at heavyweight?
Heavyweight is, as we know, where the big money is, and as a former cruiserweight champ, Okolie follows the likes of Evander Holyfield, David Haye, and, of course, Usyk as he aims to make it in the sport’s premiere weight division.
On his best night, Okolie can be a powerful puncher who gets results (see the win over the aforementioned Rozanski), while at his worst, Okolie can stink the place out (see his duller-than-dull points win of a fight with David Light). Okolie has sparred a number of big heavyweight names, such as Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, and Tyson Fury, and he is said to have held his own.
Okolie has some stiff odds to overcome if he is to win a world title at heavyweight; as fans know, only Holyfield, Haye, and Usyk have won world titles at both cruiser and heavyweight. Can Okolie put his name in the record books by joining the exclusive club?
The first hurdle along the way will have to be passed on December 7. Also on the bill at heavyweight, Solomon Dacres, 9-0)3) will risk his unbeaten record against David Adeleye, 12-1(11). This one could prove to be a fun fight if perhaps a relatively short one.
Headlining the “Magnificent 7” card will be Brad Pauls, 19-1-1(11) against Denzel Bentley, 20-3-1(17) at middleweight.
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