Lukasz Rozanski v Lawrence Okolie - Tale of the Tape: Weight, height, reach, trainer & professional boxing records

We analyse the credentials and statistics of Lukasz Rozanski and Lawrence Okolie as the pair get set to contest a hotly-anticipated WBC bridgerweight title bout in Poland this Friday night.

Early last year, Lawrence Okolie was eyeing up cruiserweight unification bouts!

Instead, Chris Billam-Smith upset the odds in his home city of Bournemouth to dethrone the then WBO king.

Now, ‘The Sauce’ is on the comeback trail as he challenges Lukasz Rozanski for the WBC cruiserweight title.

Will it be Okolie's second-coming or will it prove to be the big break for the big Pole?

We don't have to wait too long to find out.

It's time to take a look at the 'Tale of the Tape'…
 

Lukasz Rozanski v Lawrence Okolie
Tale of the Tape

	Lukasz Rozanski	Lawrence Okolie
Odds:	2/1	2/5
Age:	38	31
Nickname:	N/A	'The Sauce'
Height:	6ft 1ins	6ft 5ins
Reach:	74ins	82.5ins
Weight:	Bridgerweight	Bridgerweight
Trainer:	N/A	Joe Gallagher
Record:	15-0 (14 KOs)	19-1 (14 KOs)
Last Fight:	Won - (KO) v Alen Babic (April 2023)	Lost - (MD) v Chris Billam-Smith (May 2023)

Lukasz Rozanski
In Profile

If Lawrence Okolie has seldom been in a good fight, Lukasz Rozanski is rarely in a bad one.

The Pole has been on a path of destruction during his nine-year professional career, with only his second bout going the scheduled distance.

Such is power of the 38-year-old, he has never been beyond the fourth frame.

In 2021, he secured the biggest win of his career to that point, when he halted, former world title challenger, Artur Szpilka in the opening round.

Almost two years of inactivity followed before an unexpected opportunity arose.

The inaugural bridgerweight champion, Oscar Rivas, was forced to take time away from the sport after suffering a detached retina, and the WBC called for Rozanski to face Alen Babic for the vacant strap.

The Croat had been on his own war path, finishing fights in similarly devastating fashion to the polish brute.

It was a fight that was never going to go the distance, but it did not even last two minutes. While many predicted a war, Rozanski blew his opponent away.

Now, Okolie will hope to pose a very different threat.

Historically, ‘The Sauce’ has opted to hold when shorter fighters get close, and if he employs a similar tactic, Rozanski may be unable to get his own work off.

However, the champion will be encouraged by the fact that Chris Billam-Smith was able work his way out of the clinch to score knockdowns.

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Applies pressure well	Head falls over front foot
Changes the angle of attack	Falls in after throwing right hand
Power	Can leave himself open to attacks
Upper body movement	Keeps chin too high

Lawrence Okolie
In Profile

For some fighters, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Until now, this has been the case for Okolie.

Despite the physical advantages he possessed over almost all his opponents, rarely did ‘The Sauce’ have matters entirely his own way.

Although he possesses a longer reach than his foes, and quick feet, his rivals could close the distance. Few big men are comfortable fighting inside, but the Londoner is less skilled than most in that area.

As a result, the Rio 2016 Olympian has been forced to clinch, and whilst this has made for ugly spectacls, for as tough as Okolie has been to watch, for the most part, he's been even harded to beat!

Under the tutelage of Shane McGuigan, the Englishman was able to minimise his weaknesses, while accentuating his considerable strengths. It was a partnership which bore fruit, as Okolie captured the WBO cruiserweight title.

After parting company with his coach, in favour of working with SugarHill Steward, Okolie defended his title against, his former gym-mate, Chris Billam-Smith.

In an awful night for ‘The Sauce’, he was floored on three occasions and had two points deducted for excessive clinching, as a new champion was crowned.

For all his limitations, Okolie is a very dangerous fighter, who has a potent offensive arsenal.

At his best, he can be reminiscent of both Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder. Unfortunately, he shares many of the limitations of the aforementioned pair too.

However, the clash with Rozanski offers Okolie the opportunity to reinvent himself.

Now training with Joe Gallagher, it is possible that we may see a different style employed by the former WBO ruler.

A move up in weight could also be beneficial. Okolie had a large frame for cruiserweight and the extra 24lbs afforded to him may result in him being stronger and better able to fend off smaller boxers.

When the WBC introduced bridgerweight, in 2020, it was controversial; the last thing observers of the sport wanted was yet another division.

In the intervening years, the sanctioning body’s latest strap has only been contested twice.

Perhaps a maligned fighter and an unpopular weight class may be a match made in heaven.

Okolie’s profile would add legitimacy to the belt, while ‘The Sauce’ can avoid arduous weight cuts, before finally moving up to heavyweight.

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Height and reach advantages	Struggles to fight on the inside
Power	Clinches excessively
Athleticism	Can be predictable
Dangerous cross-right	Lack of feints

All odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.