Lawrence Okolie vs. Kevin Lerena - WBC Ordered

[Ruthless-RKO]

Deals been agreed according to WBC

[SeanBrennan]

Deals been agreed according to WBC

Cool Lerena is worthy of a good fight, he fought well against the Aussie fella especially in light of the bereavement. Good luck to the fella. Gave DDD some trouble too.

[gregregegg]

I like it. Although I don’t like okolie wasting time at bridger. Needs to be at heavy asap.

Hopfuly he is in the process of putting on weight.

I imagine he was actualy nearly 220 most of his cruiser carrer.. if he can slowly get up to a quality 235 (and weight cut to 225) at bridger then when he goes to heavy he will be 240ish and a bit of a handful. Would be a solid heavy without putting on any weight but I imagine just unrestricting your diet a bit you would slot into a more optimum/sustainable 240ish.

Like I doubt usyk tried to get bigger he just let himself eat spagetti and didn’t water cut and looks great at 222ish.

[SeanBrennan]

I like it. Although I don’t like okolie wasting time at bridger. Needs to be at heavy asap.

Hopfuly he is in the process of putting on weight.

I imagine he was actualy nearly 220 most of his cruiser carrer.. if he can slowly get up to a quality 235 (and weight cut to 225) at bridger then when he goes to heavy he will be 240ish and a bit of a handful. Would be a solid heavy without putting on any weight but I imagine just unrestricting your diet a bit you would slot into a more optimum/sustainable 240ish.

Like I doubt usyk tried to get bigger he just let himself eat spagetti and didn’t water cut and looks great at 222

I think he has the frame for it he has wide clavicles so should be able to add a lot muscle to his torso

[jameswilson]

Someone like Lerena could have easily been Okolie's first fight at heavyweight proper and we probably wouldn't have moaned I reckon Lerena weighs around 230-235 without cutting weight anyway and likewise Okolie will be around 225 even when he steps up to heavyweight proper.

I like the fight.

[JamesPhilips]

Good fight. Lerena should win

[Ruthless-RKO]

Lawrence Okolie-Kevin Lerena WBC Bridgerweight Title Fight Heads To Sept. 20 Purse Bid

The bridgerweight division has joined the purse bid festivities.

Reigning WBC titlist Lawrence Okolie and mandatory challenger Kevin Lerena are forced to go the auction route. The two sides reneged on a previous agreement, which drew the scorn of the sanctioning body—though to the delight of the #PurseBidHeads nation. A hearing will be held on Sept. 20 in London, on the eve of Riyadh Season’s debut in the U.K. market.

“The mandatory title fight must go back to a purse bid,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed on Friday. “The agreement originally made has fallen through.”

Per WBC rules, ten-percent of the highest accepted bid will be placed in escrow as a win bonus. Okolie (20-1, 15 knockouts) will receive the favorable end of a 70-30 split from the remaining balance.

[SeanBrennan]

I know it's a made up pretend division belt from Mauricio money-chaser, whose as corrupt as his dad, but I'm glad to see Lerena get a shot, he fought well in that fight where he'd lost a parent in the run and conducted himself with class throughout.

[JamesPhilips]

Lerena can definitely win this

[Ruthless-RKO]

Kevin Lerena wants Lawrence Okolie – not a step-aside fee

Kevin Lerena still wants the title fight he earned against the WBC bridgerweight titlist Lawrence Okolie.

“I’m mandated to fight Lawrence Okolie, me being the WBC interim bridgerweight champion and him being the full champion,” Lerena (30-3, 14 KOs) recently told Boxing Social.

But the forward momentum towards Okolie-Lerena has come to a halt – at least temporarily. They had agreed to fight, but their match-up was sent back to a purse bid that is scheduled to be held this Friday, according to The Ring.

Lerena says he’s heard that Okolie instead wants to defend his title against Richard Riakporhe – a cruiserweight contender who suffered his first loss in June, via unanimous decision to Chris Billam-Smith.

“You can make the fight with whoever you want to, but I’m mandatory,” Lerena said. “So if you’re gonna wanna make fights with other guys in the weight division where I’m mandated to fight you, then his team needs to come up with a very good step-aside fee, because I want the fight with Lawrence Okolie.

“It’s nothing personal. It’s business. It’s not a hard fight to make. If we’re all reasonable and everybody gets their worth, we can make the fight happen.”

Lerena’s preference is to get paid for stepping into the ring, not for stepping aside.

“I'm not interested in the step-aside fee,” he said. “I want the fight.”

Lerena spent much of his career at cruiserweight, but has occasionally fought at heavyweight. In 2022 he fought three times at heavyweight, knocking out Bogdan Dinu, widely outpointing Mariusz Wach, and then getting stopped in three rounds by Daniel Dubois in a bout in which Dubois hurt his leg and hit the canvas thrice in the opening three minutes.

The WBC is still trying to create a division between cruiserweight and heavyweight – one that limits its competitors to being heavier than 200lbs but lighter than 224lbs. The WBA has recently followed suit.

In 2023 Lerena won an elimination contest with Ryad Merhy, and then the WBC interim title by beating Senad Gashi. In March 2024 he moved to heavyweight once more and lost a unanimous decision to Justis Huni.

Okolie moved up from the cruiserweight division after a majority decision defeat in 2023 by Billam-Smith. He returned in May, when he demolished Lukasz Rozanski in 175 seconds.

[SeanBrennan]

Okolie will stop this very early imo.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Purse bid should be today

[JamesPhilips]

I heard Okolie has given up and gone to heavy?

https://www.ringtv.com/713937-lawrence- ... avyweight/

[Ruthless-RKO]

Okolie vacates, Larena named WBC bridger champ

The WBC has received official confirmation from bridgerwieght champion Lawrence Okolie that he has decided to relinquish his world title in order to pursue his dream of becoming heavyweight champion. Consequently interim champion Kevin Lerena is hereby confirmed as WBC world bridgerwieght champion.