Lawrence Okolie knocks out Lukasz Rozanski inside a round to become a two-weight world champion on his return to action; the Hackney fighter clinches the WBC bridgerweight crow
Lawrence Okolie made an emphatic return to the ring by knocking out Lukasz Rozanski in the first round to capture the WBC bridgerweight world title in Poland on Friday night. With this victory, Okolie becomes a two-weight world champion, marking his first fight since relinquishing his WBO cruiserweight belt in a loss to Chris Billam-Smith last May.
Okolie's record improves to 20-1 as he takes another step towards the heavyweight division. For Rozanski, it was his first career defeat. The Hackney fighter floored Rozanski three times in quick and brutal succession, with the final knockdown prompting the referee to stop the contest as the home favorite struggled to get back on his feet.
"This was the best moment in boxing for me, I'm super happy," said Okolie. "New weight, putting the KO back in Okolie
Sometimes I think people are joking, I say I'll go in there round one and try get the knockout. I went out there and done that.
"Joe Gallagher, hats off to him, I hated him the whole training camp, every day there was something else, but every day he was there fo
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| George Groves believes Deontay Wilder may consider facing Lawrence Okolie in the future if he doesn't see a clear path to another heavyweight world title fight |
nullA trip to Poland has been touted as a potential banana skin for Okolie in his bid to rebuild some career momentum, Rozanski awaiting as a dangerous full-throttle fighter who had stunned Alen Babic inside a round last year.
All week Okolie vowed to exploit his opponent's aggression, and did so with immediate effect when he delivered a couple of early warning shots with a fierce right hand in the opening exchanges.
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It didn't take long to make the breakthrough, Okolie sending Rozanski tumbling to the canvas with a crashing right hand to the face of the 38-year-old
Rozanski quickly got back on his feet only to crumble again under another overhand right at the ropes, barely managing to beat the count. The third knockdown came with a devastating uppercut from Okolie, leaving Rozanski on his hands and knees tangled between the ropes.
Referee Daniel Van de Wiele had seen enough and swiftly ended the bout, crowning Okolie as champion in front of a silenced Polish crowd. "My last fight was a great experience when I realized what it's like feeling alone in the ring [against Billam-Smith]," said Okolie. "This time, I didn't feel alone. I wanted to win for the team, and we got it done."
Looking ahead, Kevin Lerena awaits as a potential mandatory challenger for Okolie if he chooses to remain at bridgerweight. Okolie's trainer, Joe Gallagher, is keen to see him unify the division before eventually stepping up to heavyweight. "I'd like to see a unification fight; there's a WBA unification opportunity," said Gallagher. "There are smaller heavyweights like Deontay Wilder, and Lawrence is at that kind of weight. It's got to be a natural progression, but I'd like to see him unify first. He's full of energy and can come back to the gym on Monday."
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