Boxing Mar 16, 2026

Lawrence Okolie predicts he will meet Daniel Dubois in a future world heavyweight championship unification

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Lawrence Okolie predicts he will meet Daniel Dubois in a future world heavyweight championship unification

Lawrence Okolie has a three-point plan that would see him fight Daniel Dubois in a heavyweight world title unification.

First, Okolie must beat 2016 Olympic gold medallist Tony Yoka when they box in Paris on April 25.

Victory would leave Okolie as the WBC's No 1-ranked heavyweight contender, behind WBC Interim titlist and Oleksandr Usyk's mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel.

If Usyk doesn't defend the full WBC title against Kabayel, Okolie expects to box the German for that world championship.

Usyk didn't defend his WBO belt against mandatory challenger Fabio Wardley and is now taking on kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven in a crossover contest.

"Everyone's going to have to force the issue, Agit's team, my team, we're all going to have to force the position and hope that the WBC does the right thing," Okolie told Your Site.

"Usyk has to fight [Kabayel] and if he doesn't box him in a timely fashion and agree, strip him and then let him box whoever he wants to box at the end of the year and then we'll box in the autumn for the full world title.

"That's why I'm so eager to beat Yoka and beat him well because I know what comes off the back end of it. So I've just got to get it done."

He think Daniel Dubois will beat Fabio Wardley in May to win the WBO title and Okolie envisages boxing Dubois in a heavyweight world championship down the line.

"I sparred him loads, I've been sparring him since the Great Britain days, we've done countless rounds," Okolie said of Dubois. "My aim is to win in France, win in Germany, then win in England and be king of it all.

"I do think it probably will be me and Dan."

He added: "I think that Dubois is going to win because he's got a lot more experience at the level and he's beaten better guys. And I think that, stylistically as well, if they do start trading, unless Fabio's that much quicker than him, Dan definitely punches harder than him. So I think he'll probably hurt him.

"If they catch Dan early, hard then we could see a few repeats of some performances. But I'd be favouring Dan in that fight."

Okolie's Olympic team-mate Joe Joyce lost a controversial decision to Yoka in the super-heavyweight final at Rio 2016. He wants to exact some revenge.

"One hundred per cent," Okolie said. "Joe messaged me, actually, and said beat him up for me - and I will. I watched that fight live and I was so disappointed."

Even though Yoka will have home advantage, Okolie's confidence remains undimmed ahead of their contest.

"I'd like to see how he handles the pressure of the day, the fans cheering, the expectation and whatever else. When you've got all that and you've got someone like myself who you know at any point if I catch you properly is going to hurt you, it'll be interesting to see how that all boils together," Okolie said.

"I feel like in life there's winners and there's losers, and I think I'm more of a winner than he is. And that's why I expect to get this one done."

Watch the Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper bill live on Your Site on Sunday April 5.

Tags:

boxing news

Share this article

Related Posts

Jai Opetaia: Now Chris Billam-Smith doesn’t have a belt he wants to fight! I’ve never hand-picked a fight

Jai Opetaia: Now Chris Billam-Smith doesn’t have a belt he wants to fight! I’ve never hand-picked a fight

Jai Opetaia won’t move up to heavyweight until he has cleaned up the cruiserweight division.Already viewed as the world's leading 200lber, with his bl...

Rico Verhoeven can't beat Oleksandr Usyk but he still deserves this fight, says kickboxing legend Liam Harrison

Rico Verhoeven can't beat Oleksandr Usyk but he still deserves this fight, says kickboxing legend Liam Harrison

Oleksandr Usyk sprang a surprise of his own in a tumultuous week in the world of boxing.This week Floyd Mayweather inked a rematch with Manny Pacquiao...

Lawrence Okolie will become a world champion at heavyweight, says trainer Joe Gallagher | 'It's a matter of time'

Lawrence Okolie will become a world champion at heavyweight, says trainer Joe Gallagher | 'It's a matter of time'

Lawrence Okolie can become a heavyweight world champion, insists trainer Joe Gallagher.Okolie intends to fight Agit Kabayel for the WBC's Interim stra...

Tyson Fury: Arslanbek Makhmudov wants to send 'Gypsy King' back into retirement 'for real!'

Tyson Fury: Arslanbek Makhmudov wants to send 'Gypsy King' back into retirement 'for real!'

Arslanbek Makhmudov's "objective" is to send Tyson Fury back into retirement "for real", says his promoter Camille Estephan.Fury is preparing for a co...

Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight could still happen | 'That's all about timing,' says promoter Frank Warren

Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight could still happen | 'That's all about timing,' says promoter Frank Warren

There was a plan for Tyson Fury to fight Anthony Joshua later this year after both had warm-up bouts first.That of course was shelved after Joshua was...

James Dickens wants to prove himself the world's best super-featherweight in WBA title fight against Anthony Cacace

James Dickens wants to prove himself the world's best super-featherweight in WBA title fight against Anthony Cacace

Boxing superstars Tyson Fury and Terence Crawford were ringside to see James "Jazza" Dickens secure the greatest victory of his career in Istanbul las...