Lawrence Okolie Vacates WBC Bridgerweight Title, Will Now Campaign At Heavyweight

The Big Sauce has embarked on a path to become the heavyweight boss.

Lawrence Okolie left the #PurseBidHeads community in tatters after he chose to vacate the WBC Bridgerweight title. The decision came hours before a planned purse bid for his ordered bout versus Kevin Lerena.

“The WBC has received official confirmation from Lawrence Okolie that he has decided to relinquish his Bridgerwieght championship in order to pursue his dream of becoming Heavyweight champion,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed to The Ring in a provided statement. “Consequently Interim champion Kevin Lerena is hereby confirmed as WBC World Bridgerwieght champion.”

Okolie was due to make the first defense of his WBC bridgerweight title. Lerena was the mandatory challenger in waiting and the interim titleholder. The two previously told the WBC that a deal was reached but the matter was considered in default when neither a date nor location was properly secured.

Two extensions were granted, only for Okolie (20-1, 15 knockouts)—now a former two-division titlist—to instead focus on the meat-slapping heavyweight division.

“First, I would like to state how proud and happy I was to compete for and win the WBC bridgerweight belt,” stated Okolie.  “After much consideration it is with a heavy heart that I have to unfortunately relinquish the WBC bridgerweight belt.”

Okolie, a 2016 Great Britain Olympian, has filed a formal request with the WBC to enter the heavyweight rankings, preferably in the top five.

Okolie knocked out Poland’s Lukasz Rozanski in the first round to win the title on May 26 in Rzeszow. He floored Rozanski (15-1, 14 KOs) three times to snatch the WBC bridgerweight title.

With the win, Okolie became a two-division titlist—for those who recognize the WBC-created weight class. He previously held the WBO cruiserweight title. That reign ended in his first career defeat when he dropped a decision to Chris Billam-Smith last May in Bournemouth, England.

South Africa’s Lerena (30-3, 14 KOs) was unaffected at bridgerweight despite coming off a loss. It came at heavyweight, albeit in a credible showing. The 32-year-old southpaw was outpointed by unbeaten heavyweight Justis Huni on the March 8 Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It snapped a two-fight win streak after a third-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois. Lerena nearly won the secondary WBA heavyweight title after he dropped Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs)  three times in the opening round of their Dec. 2022 battle. Dubois rallied to drop him twice en route to the stoppage win and has since won the IBF belt. He defends versus Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) on Sept. 21 in London.

The creation of the bridgerweight division was a perfect fit for fighters sized like Lerena. He outpointed Ryad Merhy in their WBC title eliminator last May 13 in Kempton Park, South Africa.

Next step for Lerena will become the first of the young division to actually defend the belt. Oscar Rivas, Rozanski and now Okolie have all won the belt but never lodged a successful defense.

Rivas vacated the title after a failed plan to defend in Colombia and subsequent injuries stalled his career.

Rozanski destroyed Alen Babic inside of a round to win the vacant title last April in Rzeszow. The favor was returned by Okolie, who has not fought since their May clash.

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