Lawrence Okolie makes first defense of WBO World Cruiserweight title
Matchroom Boxing has announced that WBO world cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie (16-0, 13 KOs) returns to the ring on September 25. He will make the first defense of the WBO world cruiserweight title against mandatory challenger Dilan Prasovic (15-0, 12 KOs) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
Okolie won the vacant WBO title in March of 2021 with a six-round KO over Krzysztof Glowacki. It was a surprising outcome for the 28-year-old. Defeating Glowacki was not a shock. It was how Okolie fought that was eye-opening.
The product of London has received criticism within boxing circles for fighting in a manner described as ultra-safe. In his title-winning victory, he flipped the script. In the biggest fight of his career, the 6’5” cruiserweight nicknamed “The Sauce” opened up and let the punches flow. The result was arguably the best performance of his career.
He’s facing a Dilan Prasovic who earned the WBO mandatory position with a ninth-round TKO win over Edin Puhalo in October of 2020. Watching the video of that outing, the challenger is someone who has decent skills. However, his pro resume is C-level at best. There are no names of note among his list of opponents. His best opponent is the fight with Puhalo.
Okolie v Prasovic will be on the undercard of the heavyweight showdown between unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and challenger Oleksandr Usyk, live on DAZN. On paper, the defending champ looks to be a prohibitive favorite.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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