Lawrence Okolie (21-1, 16 KOs) will defend his WBC Silver heavyweight title against second-tier fighter Kevin Lerena (31-3, 15 KOs) next month on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois 2 on July 19th at Wembley Stadium in London.
Lerena: Weak Opponent Choice
Surprisingly, Okolie-Lerena is the co-feature fight on the Usyk-Dubois 2 card on DAZN PPV. The event sells for $59.99 in the U.S and £24.99 in the UK. The Okolie match-up is more of a preliminary type of fight because Lawrence is fighting another lesser fighter, and he’s done nothing since moving up to heavyweight. I see this card as underwhelming from top to bottom, thus far.
For American fans, they expect a lot more on the undercard than Okolie defending against the recently beaten Lerena, who lost last year to Justis Huni and was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in 2023.
Pay-Per-View Underwhelms Fans
It’s a lot of money for fans to pay to watch one decent fight between Dubois and Usyk. The other fight that was added today is a light heavyweight match between Daniel Lapin and Lewis Edmondson. That’s not a PPV-level undercard fight either. I see that fight as preliminary-level, too. It’s not the main card type of fight.
For Okolie, 32, to be fighting this level of opponent can only mean one thing. His management doesn’t want to take any chances with him. His opposition has not improved since he moved up to the heavyweight division in 2024.
Why Not Kabayel?
Ideally, Okolie should be challenging Agit Kabayel for his WBC interim heavyweight title, not fighting the non-top 15 ranked Lerena. Obviously, the risk would be extreme for Okolie if he fought Kabayel because he has talent and would likely lose to him.
At least it would show that Okolie is for real and not just being positioned for a world shot that he’s done zero to deserve. This is just like how Derek Chisora was put in a position to fight for a world title with the IBF. He faced weak opposition, and now he’s the mandatory challenger for the belt.
This is yet another disappointing opponent for the former WBO cruiserweight champion Okolie, who has been matched against two tomato cans since moving up to heavyweight.
What’s surprising is the WBC has Okolie ranked #1 with their organization. In his two fights at heavyweight, Lawrence has rolled over 39-year-old Lukasz Rozanski and Hussein Muhamed by first-round knockouts.
Last Updated on 06/11/2025
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