Lawrence Okolie sees the perfect opportunity for him to share the ring with Anthony Joshua.
Okolie held the WBO cruiserweight and WBC bridgerweight world titles, before he turned his hand to the heavyweight division.
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Okolie has continued his success at heavyweight, as he record stands at 22-1Credit: Getty
The 32-year-old recently put his name forward as a potential contender for rising star, Moses Itauma.
Since stepping up, he has certainly had his sights firmly set on the biggest names.
Okolie had previously suggested in 2023 that he would never face Joshua, largely down to his mother’s wishes for the pair never to touch gloves.
The pair have sparred several times in the past, including as recently as 2025, and ‘The Sauce’ was never previously open to the all-British bout.
But he has since explained to talkSPORT, that since graduating to the heavyweight division, his stance has softened and a fight now makes more sense.
“AJ is the biggest boxing star we’ve seen come out of England in the last… maybe ever,” he said.
“So for me and him to get on in Africa would be absolutely monumental.
“We must be two of the last boxing world champions out of Nigeria, myself and him.
As both heavyweights share Nigerian descent, a fight between the pair on the African continent would be a historic showdown.
Although, Okolie is keen to remain open to whatever comes his way in boxing’s glamour division.
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Okolie was formerly managed by Joshua and they remain friendly despite that relationship endingCredit: @lawrence_tko – Twitter
He explained: “In terms of routes, for me, I don’t really have one that I’m like, this is the exact one I want.
“I’m at the level now, I’ve been a world champion twice now and I’m top ranked at the WBC.
“There’s not a fight that they’re going to offer me or that’s going to present itself that I’ll turn down.
“So I just look forward to the end of this year and a huge 2026.”
Are we likely to see Anthony Joshua fighting Lawrence Okolie?
Joshua is gearing up to return to the ring, after a 12-month hiatus following his loss to Daniel Dubois.
His promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed that Joshua will be seeking a comeback bout with a top-15 ranked heavyweight.
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Joshua will be hoping to return to winning ways upon his comebackCredit: Getty
As it stands, Hearn has also floated the likes of Martin Bakole, Efe Ajagba and Tony Yoka as frontrunners for his fighter’s return.
While Okolie might not be a name that frequents conversations about Joshua’s next match-up, that doesn’t rule him out.
Especially as he is currently the top ranked heavyweight, according to the WBC.
An announcement is likely imminent in the next few weeks, and it will only then become clear if Okolie is in the picture.