Lawrence Okolie has set his sights on heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang. The former two-weight world champion thinks a win over Zhang will get him closer to a title shot.
Zhang, known as 'Big Bang', has become one of the most talked-about heavyweights. He won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and started his pro career without much fanfare. But 2023 changed everything for Zhang. He scored two back-to-back stoppage wins over Joe Joyce and knocked out Deontay Wilder. His only setback came in a points loss to Joseph Parker.
Okolie has his own list of achievements. He's a former cruiserweight champion and recently became the WBC Bridgerweight World Champion by defeating Lukasz Rozanski in May. He's now signed with Frank Warren's Queensberry and sits fifth in the WBC heavyweight rankings.
Okolie's plan is clear. He wants to perform well in December, then secure a top five heavyweight fight. Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, he laid out his path:
"Winning a fight against [Agit] Kabayal, Joseph Parker, Zhang basically lines you up for a world title shot after."
The current WBC champion is Oleksandr Usyk. He's set for a rematch with Tyson Fury on December 21, which could shake up the division.
Okolie sees Zhang as a key step on his journey to heavyweight glory. A win over the Chinese star will certainly turn heads and might just land Okolie the title shot he's after.
