Lawrence Okolie is prepared to face a hostile atmosphere and vows to prove he is a class above Lukasz Rozanski when he challenges for the WBC bridgerweight world title on Friday night in Poland.
The former WBO cruiserweight world titleholder will face Lozanski in the champion's hometown of Rzeszow, and Okolie says he expects a “hostile” reception upon his arrival at the Podplomie Arena.
“I came out there to beat their guy,” Okolie said. Sky Sports.
“I expect it to be very hostile, but I'm not going to mind. If anything, this particular fight will energize me, especially because I feel like I need to fight, I want to fight.”
Rozanski boasts an impressive record with 14 knockouts in 15 wins, most recently knocking out Alen Babich in the first round to become the WBC World champion, but Okolie believes this bout will be a step up for the champion.
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Okolie's new coach, Joe Gallagher, said that in preparation for his WBC bridgeweight world title fight against Lukasz Rozanski, the two have been working hard to eliminate Okolie's tendency to clinch during bouts.
“He hasn't played against anyone at my level or ability, but at the end of the day you never know what he's capable of.
“The reality is, you're not going to win 14 out of 15 fights by knockout unless something special happens, so I have to respect him, respect what he does best and earn the right to stop him.”
“I know what he's going to do. I've seen it 15 times and he gives it his all. I'll tell you he's fighting another animal.”
“I'm looking forward to getting booed and jumping in there and going hard.”
The bout will be Okolie's first fight above 200 pounds since moving up to bridgeweight, and the move offers him the opportunity to compete at a stronger weight class.
Okolie came in at 101.4 kilograms at Thursday's weigh-in, two ounces below the bridgeweight limit and what Okolie described as a “completely different experience” from weighing in at cruiserweight.
“I have my own reasons for this change, of course,” he said.
“I think a lot of power is lost in the gym by pushing the limits of the cruiserweight division.
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Okolie said new trainer Joe Gallagher will bring out the best in him and that Rozanski will pay the price.
“My mindset was: 'I don't care, I just want to win and get paid'. But now, although boxing is great and I get paid well on fight day, it's no longer my main source of income.”
“So I just want to make an explosive play. If I'm going to put in all this effort and be away from my son, I want to make an explosive play and make it a meaningful game.”
Rozanski has made a name for himself with his lightning-fast starts, knocking out 13 opponents inside two rounds, and is expected to be the knockout master, but his explosive approach is also seen as an opportunity for Okolie to showcase his own knockout talents.
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Okolie expects Rozanski to start aggressively on Friday night, but said the Polish bridgeweight champion will be in for a big shock.
Okolie's last fight ended in defeat, losing his WBO cruiserweight title to Chris Billam-Smith in May 2023. Billam-Smith is scheduled to defend his title live against Liak Porhe at Selhurst Park on June 15. Sky SportsS. Okolie predicts Billam Smith will win the bout.
“I think Chris will win,” he said.
“It will be a tough fight. I think Chris will win because he is in good form. He beat me, the world champion at the time, but I was better than Riak Polje, so I expect Chris to win.”
“But I think Riakporge clearly has the punching power. Chris has some big damage above his eye which I think will affect the fight. He looked very vulnerable in his last fight until he landed a body shot that ended the fight.”
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