England’s Lawrence Okolie’s next fight appears to be set.
The 31-year-old Hackney boxer has agreed terms to defend his WBC Bridgerweight title against left-hander Kevin Lerena, according to the governing body.
Okolie, (20-1, 15 KOs), returned to form in May when he knocked out Lukasz Rozanski in one round to win the belt from the Pole in his own country. With trainer Joe Gallagher in Okolie’s corner for the first time, the former Olympian faced little resistance from the inactive Rozanski and when his opponent started to find his target and let go, the fight was all but over.
The win comes almost a year to the day after he lost his unbeaten record and the WBO cruiserweight title to Chris Billam-Smith in Bournemouth. With the quick win, Okolie is keen to get back into the ring as soon as possible and it looks like Lerena (30-3, 14 KOs) could be next.
Lerena, the mandatory challenger for the WBC Bridgerweight title, will face the Brit for the second time in four fights after losing to Daniel Dubois in a wild encounter over 18 months ago. The South African put Dubois in all sorts of trouble in the first round, dropping him with a left hook before a leg injury saw the heavyweight fall twice more. Dubois recovered and finished the job in the third, much to his relief.
Points wins over Ryad Merhy and Senad Gashi sent Lerena to Saudi Arabia to face Justis Huni in March. The Australian beat Lerena over 10 rounds but suffered a huge scare with 90 seconds to go in the final round when a powerful left hook sent Huni into trouble but he held on to win. Lerena has earned huge respect and credit for fighting after losing his mother during fight week. The 32-year-old has since hinted that he could return to the Bridgerweight division and is now preparing to face 6ft 5ins Okolie in the near future.
