Okolie’s planning for a big future
LAWRENCE OKOLIE believes the opportunity is there for him to shape his legacy in the cruiserweight division before finally stepping up to challenge Tyson Fury.
Okolie makes a second defence of his WBO world cruiserweight title at London’s O2 Arena tonight when he takes on Michal Cieslak of Poland.
And he hopes their dust-up will be a final stepping stone to the unification fights he so craves against WBA champion Arsen Goulamirian, WBC top dog Ilunga Makabu or IBF and Ring king Mairis Briedis.
Okolie said: “It depends how the next three or four fights go.
“If I’m able to knock out Cieslak, it’s a good step in the right direction because he is probably the best non-champion I could box right now.
“Then, after that, if the other champions give me the opportunities I will go and handle them.
“In my perfect 2022, I would stop Cieslak with the first punch, then go into a unification match with any of the champs.
“Win that and have two belts.
“Then, hopefully, the two other champions will box each other and I’ll face the winner for all four belts.
“And if there was time I’d move up, and win at heavyweight.”
It is inevitable that Okolie will step up to heavyweight sooner rather than later.
Okolie added: “There’s not a strict timeline but I’ll need to reflect on how it has been making weight.
“As soon as it becomes too difficult then I’m off.”
MEANWHILE, undisputed supermiddleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will move up to lightheavyweight to take on undefeated Russian Dmitry Bivol in a WBA title fight on May 7.
Canelo: “It is another great challenge for me and my career.”