Lawrence Okolie called for a unification showdown with IBF and Ring Magazine champion, Mairis Briedis after capturing the WBO cruiserweight title on Saturday.
Okolie dominated former two-time world champion Kryzsztof Glowacki before detonating a huge right hand to floor the Pole, who was unable to make the count at the SSE Arena.
The 2016 Olympian secured a maiden world title in just his 16th fight and already has his sights set on a unification with Briedis, who beat Glowacki courtesy of a controversial third round stoppage in June 2019.
“I would like to fight someone like Briedis next,” Okolie told Sky Sports.
“I think out of the champions Briedis is the one I would most like to go in next with.
“That would be unified in 17 fights and 42 career fights.
“Obviously any champion that [promoter] Eddie [Hearn] can get but the one I’ll be looking for is Briedis.”
The 28-year-old became Britain’s fifth active male world champion, joining unified heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, WBC heavyweight holder, Tyson Fury, unified super lightweight titlist, Josh Taylor and WBO super middleweight champion, Billy Joe Saunders.
Promoter Eddie Hearn praised trainer Shane McGuigan for the improvements he’s made to the new WBO champion’s game and echoed Okolie’s thoughts, suggesting a unification clash would be the next target before an eventual move to heavyweight.
“That was a good enough performance to beat anyone in the division and that’s what we want to do now,” Hearn told Sky Sports.
Lawrence Okolie joins @Tyson_Fury, @AnthonyJoshua, @BJSaunders_, and @JoshTaylorBoxer as current world champions from United Kingdom 🇬🇧
via @ESPNStatsInfo pic.twitter.com/1zKRYEXBcB
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) March 21, 2021
“We don’t want to muck around we want to go straight for all the titles and unify the division and then move up to heavyweight.
“He’s got scary power, but he used to be all power. Now he’s got the jab, he’s got the movement, he’s got the knowledge up here, Shane’s done a tremendous job.”
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Should a unification with Breidis fail to materialise, WBC champion, Ilunga Makabu and WBA ‘Super’ titlist Arsen Goulamirian could also be enticing options.
The Hackney man said during a media Zoom conference call on Tuesday he would also be open to challenging himself at the newly-formed WBC bridgerweight division in the future.
