WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie is planning to put on a show next month, when he defends his world title against mandatory challenger David Light.
The fight takes place at the AO Arena in Manchester on March 25, live on Sky Sports.
The upcoming fight will be the first for Okolie with new head trainer SugarHill Steward.
“There’s nothing like the thrill of fight night, the pressure, the undefeated record on the line, world title on the line, pride on the line. Those are obviously the days that we train and live for during our time as fighters,” Okolie told Sky Sports.
“There’s great coaches in all different styles and you have to match a style that matches you. So the Kronk style, the SugarHill style, it’s really good for tall, strong, power-punching boxers. It’s focusing on long, hard punches, feinting and distance. That’s what he’s been trying to instil in me and we’ll see if I’m able to execute. But I believe in myself and my abilities. I’ll go out there and do what I’m meant to do.”
The of the fights being built up for Okolie is a showdown with top contender Richard Riakporhe.
Both boxers are aligned with promoter Boxxer and Sky Sports.
Riakporhe holds a close decision win over Chris Billam-Smith.
Okolie cautions that he believes Billam-Smith would beat Riakporhe in a possible rematch.
“I actually do think Chris will win it, personally. I do think their first fight was a close competitive fight, where I actually thought Chris won. Maybe I was a bit biased at the time because we were in the same gym but I did think he won that fight,” Okolie said.
“Since then [in Riakaporhe] I haven’t seen massive improvements. I think he’s a little bit more composed but I think that Chris has gone through fire, he’s been in grudge matches. It would be a massive fight. There would be a lot of grudge, the energy would be very different from the first fight. I would favor Chris in that fight unless obviously Richard landed something crazy.”