After two postponements, Lawrence Okolie will finally get his hands on Krzysztof Glowacki in his first-ever world title fight on Saturday night.
The pair were originally set to square off prior to the outbreak of coronavirus, before their rearranged bout – on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev – was called off, after Glowacki tested positive for the virus.
Okolie was forced to swiftly change his plans, bringing in a replacement opponent in Nikodem Jezewski, but the 28-year-old was unfazed as he strolled to a second-round TKO victory.
Though Okolie already has the Commonwealth, British and European titles to his name, the match-up represents a significant step-up in opposition for ‘The Sauce’.
In fact, should Okolie emerge victorious on Saturday, with the vacant WBO cruiserweight world title on the line, he will equal his long-term sparring partner and now manager Anthony Joshua, who also won his first world title in his 16th bout, with a second round demolition of Charles Martin.
And assuming Okolie is to be successful, a series of unification bouts, before a move to the heavyweight division, awaits.
Lawrence Okolie (left) and Krzysztof Glowacki (right) at Friday’s pre-fight weigh in
When is Lawrence Okolie vs Krzysztof Glowacki?
Okolie and Glowacki will compete for the vacant WBO cruiserweight world title on Saturday, March 20.
The fight will be held at a behind closed doors Wembley Arena, with the ring walks scheduled for 10:30pm UK time, depending on the results from the undercard.
How to watch Lawrence Okolie vs Krzysztof Glowacki
The card will be shown live on Sky Sports Arena from 7pm, with Sky Sports Main Event also broadcasting the action from 10pm.
Subscribers can also stream the event live on Sky Go, which is available on a variety of devices.
Alternatively, if you don’t have a subscription you can buy a Sky Sports day pass from NowTV for £9.99, with a month pass at £33.99.
For those outside of the UK and Ireland – other than anyone in New Zealand, Australia, Ireland or China – the fight will be available to watch on DAZN, which will cost just £1.99-a-month should you want to sign up.
Who is Krzysztof Glowacki?
Glowacki looks in tremendous shape ahead of his world title fight against Okolie on Saturday
For those who don’t know as much about Glowacki, Okolie will be entering the ring with a serious operator on Saturday night.
The 34-year-old is a highly experienced former cruiserweight world champion, who has lost just two fights from 33.
Glowacki’s only defeats have come at the hands of former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, and in a controversial TKO defeat to current IBF champion Mairis Briedis.
Though significantly smaller than Okolie, Glowacki does still have power, with 19 knockouts to his name.
However, due to the complications brought about by coronavirus, he has now been out of the ring for almost two years, with his last outing being in his loss against Briedis.
In fact, his last win now came over two years ago, when he defeated Maxim Vlasov by unanimous decision back in November 2018.
Whether he will suffer from ring-rust remains to be seen, but it surely is a prevalent advantage for Okolie.
Lawrence Okolie vs Krzysztof Glowacki: The records
Lawrence Okolie
Age: 28
Nationality: British
Height: 6 ft 5in
Reach: 82.5′
Record: 15-0-0
Knockouts: 12
Last fight: Jezewski TKO (Dec 2020)
Krzysztof Glowacki
Age: 34
Nationality: Polish
Height: 6ft
Reach: 75′
Record: 31-2-0
Knockouts: 19
Last fight: Briedis TKO loss (June 2019)
Lawrence Okolie vs Krzysztof Glowacki card in full
- Lawrence Okolie v Krzysztof Glowacki
- Chris Billam Smith v Deion Jumah
- Anthony Fowler v Jorge Fortea
- Joe Cordina v Faroukh Kourbanov
- Bradley Rea v Lee Cutler
- Ramla Ali v Bec Connolly
- Ellie Scotney v Mailys Gangloff
Lawrence Okolie vs Krzysztof Glowacki: The odds
Despite the fact that Glowacki is a former world champion, the bookies are placing Okolie as the heavy favourite.
The Hackney fighter is the overwhelming favourite at 1/5 to win, while Glowacki is the underdog at 10/3.
Meanwhile, the unlikely event of a draw is down at 22/1.
*Odds from Betfair and are correct at the time of publication.
Up next for Okolie: Unification?
Lawrence Okolie has already won the Commonwealth, British and European titles
As we’ve seen throughout the period of lockdown, with major upsets coming for Josh Warrington and Dillian Whyte, Glowacki cannot be overlooked on Saturday night.
However, should Okolie prevail, there are a number of mouthwatering clashes potentially to come his way.
With the remaining cruiserweight belts belts being split between IBF champion Briedis, WBA holder Arsen Goulamirian and WBC king Ilunga Makabu, there are plenty of options out there for Okolie.
And unification is certainly his goal.
He told Sportsmail: ‘I’ve always set my goals as being a world champion and I’ve got so much in this sport that I want to achieve.
‘I’m looking to win on Saturday and then go straight into a unification fight, that’s just where I’m at mentally.’
The 28-year-old insists he’s taking things one fight at a time, but does acknowledge it’s the heavyweight division where he wants to end up.
‘As long as I’m able to do what I do, win comfortably and win well, then I’ll move up to heavyweight,’ he explained. ‘But to be honest, I really just focus on one fight at a time, and eventually I’ll see.’