- Lawrence Okolie (22-1, 16 KOs) defends the WBC Silver heavyweight title against Tony Yoka (15-3, 12 KOs) at the Adidas Arena in Paris on April 25 — live on DAZN
- Both men are 33, both are former cruiserweight-level fighters who have moved up to heavyweight, and both need a signature win at the higher weight
- Yoka fights on home soil in Paris — the 2016 Olympic super heavyweight gold medallist returns to the city where he won his amateur crown a decade ago
- The winner positions himself for a mandatory or eliminator towards a world heavyweight title — the loser faces an uncertain future in the division
There is a tier of heavyweight fighter that sits just below the elite. Men who would have been world champions in a weaker era but who exist in the shadow of Usyk, Fury, Joshua, and Dubois. Lawrence Okolie and Tony Yoka both live in that tier, and on April 25 in Paris they fight to escape it.
The WBC Silver title is on the line, but the real prize is positioning. The heavyweight landscape is shifting — Usyk defends against Verhoeven in May, Fury returns against Makhmudov next week, Joshua is working his way back. A statement victory in Paris puts the winner in the conversation for the fights that matter by the end of 2026.
Okolie's Heavyweight Reinvention
Lawrence Okolie was a dominant cruiserweight. He won the WBO title in 2021 and defended it twice before moving up to heavyweight, where the power dynamic changes entirely. At cruiserweight, Okolie's size and strength were advantages. At heavyweight, he is merely normal.
To his credit, the reinvention has gone well. Okolie is 22-1 with 16 knockouts and has picked up the WBC Silver belt along the way. His lone defeat came against Chris Billam-Smith at cruiserweight — a fight many thought he won. Since moving up to heavyweight he has looked comfortable, if not spectacular, and has shown enough to suggest he belongs at the weight.
His style can be awkward and frustrating. He clinches, he ties up, he uses his length to smother opponents at range. It is not pretty, but it is effective. Against Yoka on home soil in Paris, he will need to do more than survive — he will need to win rounds convincingly to take a decision on the road.
Yoka's Parisian Redemption
Tony Yoka's professional career has been a story of unfulfilled promise. After winning Olympic gold at super heavyweight in Rio 2016, he was supposed to become France's first heavyweight world champion. Instead, a doping suspension, promotional disputes, and three consecutive defeats nearly ended his career before it properly started.
But Yoka has rebuilt. He relocated his training base to London, stripped his approach back to basics, and has won four fights in a row since the losing streak. Fighting in Paris at the Adidas Arena — in the city where he became an Olympic champion — gives this fight an emotional dimension that extends beyond belts and rankings.
At his best, Yoka is a skilled boxer with a solid jab, good movement for a big man, and enough power to keep opponents honest. The question is whether his best is good enough to beat a man like Okolie, who is durable, disciplined, and desperately motivated.
A Fight That Defines Both Careers
This is the kind of fight that boxing needs more of. Two evenly matched contenders, both at a stage in their careers where winning matters far more than it did five years ago. Neither man can afford a loss. Neither man is guaranteed a win. That uncertainty is what makes it compelling.
Oddsmakers have Okolie as the favourite, but only marginally. Yoka's home advantage in Paris, in front of a crowd desperate to see their Olympic hero reclaim his status, makes this closer to a coin flip than the odds suggest.
Paris. April 25. DAZN. Two proud fighters. One belt. Everything on the line.