- Okolie (23-1, 17 KOs) defends WBC Silver heavyweight title vs Yoka (15-3, 12 KOs) — Saturday April 25, Adidas Arena, Paris, DAZN
- 2016 Olympic super-heavyweight rivalry: Yoka won gold in Rio, Okolie went out in the quarter-finals — ten years of needle
- Luke's pick: Okolie by wide decision, but Yoka's Paris crowd and sharpened form mean this is not a night for complacency
Ten Years of Needle Finally Boils Over
Make no mistake, this fight has been brewing for a decade. Lawrence Okolie and Tony Yoka shared a Team GB versus Team France amateur scene at super-heavyweight in the lead up to Rio 2016, and Yoka walked away with Olympic gold while Okolie exited in the quarter-finals. It's the kind of loss that sits with a fighter. Okolie has never hidden how much getting his own back on Yoka means — he's mentioned it in virtually every interview since moving up to heavyweight.
Now both men are older, richer, scarred up at elite level, and finally in the ring on the same night with a belt between them. Okolie holds the WBC Silver heavyweight title. Yoka is the hometown challenger with his own Olympic credentials and a punchers chance every time he throws the right hand. This is the grudge match we were promised ten years ago, and Paris will be proper loud for it.
Okolie Has Found His Heavyweight Range
Right then — the easy story on Okolie is that he was a dreadful watch at cruiserweight, all clinches and stiff-armed jabs, boring his way to the WBO title and then losing it in a snooze-fest. That's half-right and now wildly out of date. Since moving to heavyweight, Okolie has strung together three stoppage wins on the bounce, the most recent being a proper crack of Ebenezer Tetteh in December. The extra weight has freed his shoulders up and, crucially, his jab now has the sort of snap it never had at 200 pounds.
The trainer-switch to Shane McGuigan has done exactly what it was supposed to do. Okolie's footwork is more balanced, the lead hand freezes opponents, and the chopping right hand behind it now arrives with proper intent. At 6'5" with a 79-inch reach, he's a nightmare matchup for Yoka — who at 6'7" has more reach but has never been comfortable against a man who can jab and move at his own height.
Yoka's Chin Is The Question Mark
Here's where the fight turns. Yoka's career hit serious turbulence after three consecutive defeats to Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam and Ryad Merhy in 2022-2023. All three losses had one thing in common — his chin let him down when the right-hand money shot landed. He's responded well since, with four straight wins including a recent points decision over Arslan Yallyev that showed renewed discipline and a willingness to box rather than brawl, but the chin question has never been properly answered.
Okolie's best punch is the straight right hand coming off the jab. It is exactly the shot that has floored Yoka in the past. This isn't me speculating — go and watch the Bakole finish. The trajectory is identical to what Okolie lands in the gym every day. If the champion gets the timing right early, Yoka's night gets very short, very quickly. If Yoka survives the first four rounds without getting cracked, the Paris crowd roars, and the narrative shifts entirely.
Luke's Prediction: Okolie by Wide Decision
Let's not beat around the bush — Okolie should win this fight. He's the bigger puncher pound-for-pound at this weight class, he's got the reach advantage neutralised by his own height, and he's been the more active fighter for two years. The bookies have him 3/10 favourite for a reason. But fighting in Paris, with Yoka's home crowd willing every counter to land, is not a straightforward night out.
I'll take Okolie on the cards, 117-111 or 118-110, winning eight or nine rounds in a fight that has moments of real danger in the middle section where Yoka lands one or two crunching right hands and forces Okolie to respect him. The knockout threat is real — I wouldn't be shocked to see a stoppage in rounds six to eight — but I'm backing the more reliable version of the fight. Okolie wins clearly, survives one scare, and moves to 24-1.
The bigger picture after this? The WBC Silver is a stepping-stone to Tyson Fury or a Fabio Wardley-style mandatory. Okolie has said he wants Wardley next. If he gets through Yoka, that fight is a genuinely compelling British night for later in 2026.
Winner: Lawrence Okolie by Unanimous Decision