Lawrence Okolie marked his return to the ring with a unanimous decision victory over Kevin Lerena at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night, though the performance left much to be desired from fans and pundits alike.
The bout, which served as the co-main event on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois rematch card, saw Okolie win comfortably on all three judges’ scorecards: 100-90, 100-90, and 99-91. Despite the dominant win, the lack of urgency, pace, and power exchanges turned the 10-round fight into a largely forgettable affair.
Lerena opened the contest with some sharp lefts, attempting to disrupt Okolie’s rhythm early. However, the South African southpaw struggled to close the range against Okolie’s superior reach and jab. Okolie, a former WBO cruiserweight world champion, used his length to control the distance but rarely took risks or went for the knockout.
Throughout the middle rounds, the fight descended into a pattern of clinching and holding, drawing jeers from the Wembley crowd. The referee, Victor Loughlin, was repeatedly forced to separate the pair as neither boxer offered significant offensive output. From his corner, Joe Gallagher called on Okolie to make better use of his jab, but the advice did not translate into action.
Okolie’s work to the body and sporadic combinations were enough to keep him ahead, though he never looked close to ending the fight inside the distance. Lerena, whose record now stands at 31 wins and 2 losses, was game but ultimately outgunned.
Now 22-1 with 16 knockouts, Okolie has rebuilt some momentum after losing his WBO title to Chris Billam-Smith last year. He has since moved up to bridgerweight and picked up the WBA Continental title, which he retained with this win.
Okolie remains the WBC’s top-ranked bridgerweight contender, putting him in line for a future title shot. However, given the underwhelming nature of his performance, questions remain over whether he is ready to compete with the likes of Oleksandr Usyk, the reigning unified heavyweight champion, or Agit Kabayel, who currently holds the WBC interim belt.
While the night ended with Usyk delivering a resounding knockout over Dubois to retain his world titles, Okolie’s cautious display failed to match the high stakes and spectacle of the main event.
