Former WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie has admitted that his mediocre performance has frustrated not only his fans but also himself.
Okolie, now with trainer Joe Gallagher, takes on Lukasz Rozanski (15-0, 14 KOs) for the WBC bridgeweight title on Friday night in Poland, and after amassing a 19-1 record so far as a professional (14 KOs), the 31-year-old is hoping to start the next phase of his career in style.
Okolie has not boxed since losing the belt to former stablemate Chris Billam-Smith at Bournemouth just over a year ago, but is hoping to generate stability and momentum.
Okolie can be lethargic one moment, then destructive the next, and he can't explain why.
“That's true, for sure,” he said. “I think in my career, to be honest with you, that's probably been the most frustrating thing. I think that's the most painful thing for me in boxing, because I won the belt and outside of the ring I was fine, but it was always like, 'What is it?'
“It was good to take it apart and find out what was going on, what was this, what was that, but it was also frustrating and that was probably the hardest part. I did. Even if there were no fans, I would be the one who would actually perform, but this fight. [on Friday] You might want to take a look.
“We know what we've been working on. I think we're going to get better and I think this match is going to be a classic. 'Okay, now I don't have to put on as much weight, so I have the energy to do what I want to do in the ring. Now I'm saying to myself, “If I can do that, great. But I'm confident.''
For a while, it looked like the former 2016 Olympian had found the finishing touches under trainer Shane McGuigan, but Okolie was unable to put up a series of devastating fights and now says he has changed his mind. I believe.
“For me, it's also about taking more risks and being prepared to go to dark places where you're out of breath and working, because I'm very particular about maintaining a really good pace until the end. Because I feel comfortable.’ I’ll fight, but I’ll never go to the red zone and back up and change gears,” Okolie explained. “I think that’s the main thing. I also think committing to go for the KO and committing to go the extra mile. I was coasting for the majority of the fight, so I hit some good shots and got the KO. If I could, I would. But I'm not necessarily hungry for it.”
Okolie said he wanted a rematch with Billam Smith and the deal was done, but he's now out of that division and on his way to heavyweight, and while he wants to put up a good fight for himself, he has another reason to be impressed.
“That's my son, because one day he'll come to the point where he says, 'I'm going to look for your dad,' and he'll say, 'You won everything.'
“'We lost, but what did we do when we came back?' Did we come back worse, did we come back better, did we come back explosively, we worked on the things we wanted to work on. 'And I want him to watch my fight with Rozanski and think, 'Wow, look what he did to him.' That's what drives me. ”
A former McDonald's employee who was inspired to take up boxing after watching Anthony Joshua win gold at the London Olympics, Okolie is no longer motivated by money. He now wants to reach his full potential and excite fans.
“With all due respect, I don't need to box because I have had good results over the years,” said Okolie, who lives in Dubai. “I’m in a very comfortable position and I’m enjoying the idea of finishing my career doing what I envision for the next few years. I always picture myself KOing and looking super flashy. But when I'm fighting, I'm not doing it. I'm not delivering it. I look back at my fights and say, “Look, I did what I envisioned and actually did it. I want to be able to think, “I made this a reality.”
It's not something he thinks or feels during a game, but when you go back on tape he becomes very aware.
“After that,” he continued. “During a match, I understand the reasoning behind certain decisions that I make because I'm the one making them. For example, hugging or choking or things like that. I was reminded of how I felt in the moment, watching myself fight back, listening to Joe's story.
“In sparring or whatever, I'm very good at controlling distance, taking a step left, taking a step right, and everything is fine and relaxed, but on match day, other people [opponents] I am approaching this game as if my life will change if I win this match. They have a different energy than their sparring partners.
“Right now, the intensity's up here, I threw a couple jabs, and I was like, 'Oh, I'm keeping him at bay.' Now, where do I go? Oh, it's safer here.' As opposed to having more options. So, what we've been working on is, 'No, Lawrence, throw the jab, and if it doesn't work and they come here, throw the shot, because you're throwing a much more dangerous shot than you have, and you want to do this to get the KO, and you want to do this.
“The important thing is to have options and to execute those options, because there's only one thing you need to know: 'We're here, I'm big and strong, and I can punch hard. “I can shoot, or I'm big and strong.'' I can assert him and calm it down. It's up to me to make a conscious decision and it becomes unconscious. I have to be intentional about what I do.”
As part of Team GB, Okolie has had contact with a sports psychologist, which is not something he has explored to help him become more aggressive, although he does not rule out the possibility. It seems harsh to ask a man why he has difficulty pulling the trigger when he has knocked out 14 of his 19 victims, but Okolie understands the point of the question. His reputation has been tarnished by fights against the likes of David Wright, Isaac Chamberlain and Matty Askin.
“I've had regular therapy, I've had sports psychology, but that was when I was with the England national team. I was considering doing that, but at this stage, especially given this game and the atmosphere, I'm not sure what to do. I think it's clear what to do,'' he said of facing Rozanski in Poland on Friday.
“Everyone knows what it is. You're going to go into the lion's den, it's going to be hostile, it's going to be violent, it's going to be evil. You have to be intentional because they're coming to take your head. You can't survive a fight like this because you're not paying attention… A double left hook and one shot. landed, we don't know how hard he punches, you can only see by his record, so you've got to respect that. In order for me to KO him, I need to flip a switch to take advantage of his mistakes. Because when I'm lazy, the moment passes by second by second.
