Lawrence Okolie in negotiations for a heavyweight bout with Luis Ortiz

Lawrence Okolie is feuding with two-time world heavyweight champion Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz. The former WBO cruiserweight champion (21-1, 16 KOs) is taking a slow approach to adapting to the heavyweight division.

Cuban Ortiz (34-3, 29 KOs) turns 46 on March 29 but is still dangerous with his power, size and technical ability. His ring IQ and athleticism far outweigh the 6’5″ Okolie. If Ortiz lands on the uncoordinated ‘Souce’ Okolie, he could knock him out and ruin his heavyweight aspirations.

Okolie with Ortiz at work

Okolie’s two heavyweight fights were against Hussain Muhammad and Lukasz Rozanski. Both of those guys were terrible and completely useless in developing Okolin in any real sense to elevate him to a world title shot. However, if the idea seems to be invincible to eat okoli tomatoes, it is to compare them with such fighters.

In his last fight at cruiserweight, Lawrence was defeated by Chris Williams-Smith in a 12-round majority decision on May 27, 2023. That fight was the writing on the wall for Okolie saying he was ‘Champion’. Cruiserweight Okolie will not fare well against talented new fighters, Jai Opetaia and David Nyika. So he moved up to heavy weights to rejuvenate himself.

Ortiz is coming off a first round knockout win over Francisco Cordero in Colombia last January 13th. “King Kong Ortiz has been inactive for two years after winning a close 12-round unanimous decision over the former world champion. Andy Ruiz On September 14, 2022.

Ortiz gave Ruiz pure hell in that fight, repeatedly landing on the 268-pounder. Had Ruiz not dropped Luiz in rounds two and seven, the Cuban would have won. In Ortiz’s previous fight on January 1, 2022, he defeated former heavyweight champion Charles Martin in the sixth round.

Former cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie is in talks to fight Luis Ortiz in England in a heavyweight campaign, a source told ESPN. Ortiz, 45, returned last January from a concussion. In the year It was his first fight since losing to Andy Ruiz in 2022.

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) January 20, 2025