While speculation has linked Mairis Breidis and Lawrence Okolie to the unification of cruiser weight classes, the Brit trainer prefers another option.
Okolie made her second WBO title defense against Michal Cieslak last month when Briedis, the IBF champion, entered the ring.
The other two champions in the group are Arsen Goulamirian (WBA) and Ilunga Makabu (WBC). And it was the unity against the Congo cruiser that McGuigan so desperately wanted for Okolie.
“Makabu was sitting there waiting for the battle with Canelo. The fact that Canelo went to [Dmitry] Bivol… I think that’s a great fight we can do right now,” said McGuigan, who spoke with Boxing Social’s Ryan Elliott.
“Can he do a better job than Tony Bellew (who beat Makabu in 2016)? Sure is not. Bellew took him down in a great way. But if he beats him, if he gets the knockout, if he wins then that’s unity and that’s what we want.”
Canelo and Okolie promoter Eddie Hearn recently said that Makabu remains an option, along with England’s John Ryder, as the Mexican superstar’s third opponent in 2022 after Bivol and Gennadiy Golovkin.
Click this to watch Shane McGuigan’s interview with Boxing Social.
