Okolie represented Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympics but was trumped by eventual bronze medallist Erislandy Savon in the Round of 16, encouraging him to make the switch to the professional ranks the following year.
‘The Sauce’ scored seven wins and six knockouts in his debut year before stepping up to defeat the likes of Isaac Chamberlain and Luke Watkins – earning him a shot at Matty Askin’s British title, which he won via unanimous decision on the Joshua-Povetkin card at Wembley Stadium in September 2018.
The Hackney-born power-puncher then proceeded to produce a run of seven consecutive knockout wins, the sixth of which came against two-time world champion Krzysztof Glowacki in a bid for the vacant WBO cruiserweight world title – and the seventh being a first defence of the belt against Dilan Prasovic before Michal Cieslak was able to last the distance with Okolie.
However, Okolie underwhelmed when he faced New Zealand’s David Light last March and that bout marked the beginning of the end as Chris Billam-Smith was able to upset the odds and defeat the former Olympian by majority-decision to hand Okolie a first career defeat.
The now 31-year-old received heaps of criticism for his performance against Billam-Smith – his fan-friendly style that gave him early success now a thing of the past at the top level – replaced by a nasty habit of clinching and winning contests in a dull manner.
Although, those left unentertained by Okolie’s displays were retracting their comments when he stepped up to face Lukasz Rozanski for the WBC bridgerweight title back in May, as he adopted a front-footed approach and scored a first knockout win since September 2021 and a first first-round victory since his fourth professional bout.
Momentum is now back on Okolie’s side and the confident Brit has been calling for a showdown with Oleksandr Usyk ahead of his move to the heavyweight division. Although, the Ukrainian sensation is tied up in a rematch with Fury, the WBC have now announced that Okolie will enter the heavyweight rankings at #5, meaning a meeting with Usyk could take place sooner than expected.
Okolie will likely make his debut as a heavyweight in early 2025, with names such as Fabio Wardley being suggested.
As for the WBC bridgerweight crown, Kevin Lerena has been upgraded to full world champion after Okolie vacated the strap.
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