Lawrence Okolie made a strong comeback on Friday night, knocking out Lukasz Rozanski in the opening round of their WBC bridgeweight world title fight in Poland.
With the win, Okolie became the first two-division world champion since vacating the WBO cruiserweight belt after losing to Chris Billam-Smith last May.
Okolie improved to 20-1 as a professional and was taking another step up to heavyweight, but it was the first loss of Rozanski’s career.
The Hackney-born fighter knocked Rozanski down three times in swift and brutal fashion, with the referee eventually calling off the bout at the very end as the local favourite struggled to get to his feet.
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Lawrence Okolie described his victory over Lukasz Rozanski as the best moment of his boxing career.
“For me it was the greatest moment in boxing history. I’m very happy,” Okolie said. “At my new weight, my knockout power is back.”
“Sometimes I think people are joking and say I’m going to go for the knockout in the first round. And I’ve been there and done that.”
“Hats off to Joe Gallagher. I hated him all through training camp. Something happened every day, but he was there for me every day.”
“I hated every second of it, but today made it all worth it.”
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George Groves believes Deontay Wilder might consider a fight with Lawrence Okolie in the future if he doesn’t see a clear path to another heavyweight world title fight.
The trip to Poland has been rumoured to be a potential downfall for Okolie as he looks to regain some momentum in his career, with Rozanski, a dangerous flat-out fighter who stunned Alen Babich in the first round last year, waiting to take on the opposition.
Okolie had vowed all week to take advantage of his opponent’s aggression, and that promise was soon made good as he landed several warning shots with a heavy right hand in the opening exchanges.
It didn’t take long for Okolie to make his breakthrough, landing a powerful right hand to the face of the 38-year-old Rozanski, sending him tumbling to the canvas.
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Joe Gallagher wants Lawrence Okolie to unify the WBC and WBA bridgeweight world titles and then fight him.
Rozanski quickly got to his feet, but this time he managed to beat the count and was knocked down by another overhand punch near the ropes.
Third time was a charm and it was his best shot, as Okolie ended the bout with a devastating uppercut that sent Rozanski crawling on his hands and knees between the ropes.
Referee Daniel van de Wiele decided enough was enough and brought the bout to a swift end in front of a silent Polish crowd, crowning Okolie the champion.
“My last fight was a great experience because it showed me what it’s like to feel alone in the ring. [against Billam-Smith]” Okolie said.
“I never felt alone. I just wanted to win for my team. We came in and we did it.”
If Okolie chooses to stay at bridgeweight, he could be obligated to face Kevin Lerena, and his trainer Joe Gallagher would like to see Okolie fight a unification bout before eventually moving up to heavyweight.
“I would like to see a unification fight. There’s a WBA unification fight,” Gallagher said.
“You have small heavyweights like Deontay Wilder and Lawrence is at that weight too.
“This should develop naturally, but I would like to see him unify this first.
“He’s full of energy and can be back in the gym on Monday.”