Lawrence Okolie has proved adept at making fight predictions when the contests in question involve fighters he has experience sparring. The latest call he’s made involves another two boxers, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley, he’s shared rounds with. They fight on April 9 in Manchester, England, for Wardley's WBO title.
In December Okolie admittedly wouldn't have been confused with Nostradamus for picking Anthony Joshua to knock out Jake Paul but, two months before, he went against the grain and predicted that Wardley would stop Joseph Parker. He was right on both occasions.
The 33-year-old heavyweight contender and former cruiserweight titlist takes on Tony Yoka in Paris on April 25 and is eager to secure a title shot. He’s No. 1 via the WBC and the Londoner has made no secret of his desire to take on Agit Kabayel, the interim titlist. Okolie, presuming he gets past Yoka in France, would be keen to make that fight away from home, in Kabayel’s Germany, before returning to do battle with the Wardley-Dubois winner.
Okolie, 23-1 (17 KOs), has sparred both Dubois and Wardley. Now trained by Joe Gallagher, both Okolie and Dubois used to be gymmates and "sparred loads" when they worked under Shane McGuigan.
“I think Dubois is going to win because he’s got a lot more experience and he’s beaten better guys,” Okolie told Sky Sports. “I think that, stylistically, if they do start trading – unless Fabio is that much quicker than him – [Dubois] definitely punches harder than him and will hurt him."
"However, Ben Davison [Wardley's trainer] is a really good coach and they might work on the right sequences to catch Dan. And if they catch Dan, early and hard, then we might see a repeat of [Wardley’s best] performances.
"But I’d be favoring Dan in that fight."
Should that occur, Okolie would welcome the chance to take on Dubois in Britain once, of course, he's dealt with Yoka and Kabayel.
"My aim is to win in France, win in Germany, and then win in England and be king of it all. That’s my vision."
