Source: Alamy Stock Photo
In our exclusive interview, Okolie reveals he’s eyeing up Deontay Wilder as his next fight and gives his opinion on Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois.
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Lawrence Okolie exclusively spoke to Betway following his first-round stoppage of Lukasz Rozanski to become WBC bridgerweight world champion.
The 2016 Olympian previewed a possible showdown against Deontay Wilder before comparing the power between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois ahead of their September showdown at Wembley Stadium.
Would you welcome a fight with Deontay Wilder next at bridgerweight?
It would be fantastic. I think he will perform well at the weight because I think the majority of the fights he has lost lately have been because the fighters are just too big. When he is boxing the likes of Tyson Fury who outweighs him by 30,40 or 50 pounds, the same as Zhilei Zhang, then it’s like that explosive power is not the same. If you’re 102kg and you’re fighting someone 108kg then it’s not so bad, but if you’re fighting someone at 118kg or 120kg, then the weight is going to show because the punches get soaked up a little bit more.
I think it would be a great fight and he’ll always have what leaves people late, and that’s his punching power and the name – Deontay Wilder. If I’m boxing Wilder, no matter what I say, I’m going to be a little bit apprehensive and think, ‘okay let’s see what his power is like’. I think it’s a great fight.
Do you think Wilder is past his prime now?
Yes, of course. There are not many fighters who get to 38 years old and are better than they were at 28, which is something I’m very aware of. I’ve still got my career and I’m 31 now, I don’t expect to be hanging around for that long, but for these guys it’s all they know and it’s their bread and butter.
They believe they can still keep going and as I said, if I’m boxing Wilder then it’ll still be a hard night’s work because he’s got long, strong punching power and is an explosive mover. He’s always got a point to prove and a chip on his shoulder. Do I think he is past his best? Yes. But he’s still dangerous and has been a world heavyweight champion.
How would you fight Deontay Wilder?
Scarily, I would have to go and get him because he’s a little bit taller than me and might have a little bit longer reach. I would have to be either be too far distanced for him to land and then be able to cover the distance well enough to get my shots off, and then rinse and repeat. It’s a mix between what Tyson Fury and Joseph Parker did.
I don’t have the length or style of Fury, and I don’t have the short stocky way that Parker went for him so it’s a sort of like a hybrid between the two where you have a boxing match which I’m definitely a better mover and together boxer than he is.
However, he is still very athletic so he can jump out of the way of danger and jump into it back quickly, so I have to be switched on defensively and when it’s time to attack, I have to attack. Hopefully with the youth, and being very strong for my weight, I am enjoying my time at bridgerweight so when it gets to the middle rounds with his age and the damage, he has taken over the years, we can hopefully get the stoppage in the middle rounds.
How do you see Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois going?
It’s a great fight. AJ has got reach and speed advantage in that fight, and great punching power. It’s a weird one because Daniel is more heavy-handed but AJ has got better speed power. They punch differently but it’s mainly down to AJ keeping it disciplined and explosive at the same time.
One thing you don’t want is Daniel getting rhythm, getting comfortable and landing shots because he punches hard. We’ve seen him in the fight against Oleksandr Usyk where he put him down, was it a low blow or not? We’ve seen him against Filip Hrogvic who is a really good boxer. He was landing some concussive shots and got the job done and we’ve seen him against ‘Baby’ Miller where he outworked him to a stoppage through blood and guts.
You know he will be a hard night’s work for AJ and if AJ isn’t putting him in a box and saying this is what you’re doing today and you’re going to get jabbed and land a right hand and dominate that way then it’s a hard night. Daniel’s a young guy, full of ambition, made the most money he’s ever made and will be thinking ‘if I win this fight, then there’s millions to be made on the other side of it. it’s a hard one but AJ should be the favourite. But as they say, in heavyweight boxing, one shot can change everything and especially when you’re talking about someone as concussive as Daniel Dubois.
Who was the tougher fighter to spar?
Daniel’s hands are just naturally powerful if he lands, but AJ has speed power. He’ll be able to land a shot a lot quicker than Daniel Dubois.
For example, let’s say Daniel is a 10 for punching power, AJ might be a nine, but AJ might be a nine for speed and Daniel might be a seven or eight, so it depends on what you like. You’ve got a mix of speed and power, so it makes it sharp and explosive and if it lands, we’ve seen what happens when Anthony Joshua lands with one shot clean.
There’s a whole bunch of big guys he has knocked out. You don’t really see Daniel get one shot knockouts; you see him follow up with another shot. They are both really good punchers so it’s hard to say whether one is a clear favourite with punching power. They can both knock you out with one shot.