David Adeleye and Lawrence Okolie will share the same card in separate heavyweight bouts on December 19 in Lagos, Nigeria.
Nigeria map, low risk
It is unclear who will fight the recently beaten Adeleye (14-2, 13 KOs) and Okolie (22-1, 16 KOs). Fans on social media are disappointed that they are sharing a card but not fighting each other. This is a red flag that their fights will be gimmicks. These two should already step it up against higher opposition.
Olly Campbell’s view: Enough protection
The 32-year-old Okolie has reached an age where he needs to start fighting the higher level heavyweights. The former WBO cruiserweight champion has yet to face anyone resembling a contender since moving up to heavyweight in 2024.
Queensberry-promoted Adeleye and Okolie share Nigerian roots, so fighting at that venue rather than the UK makes sense. Still, they have to fight against top contenders to be taken seriously. With the way they are matched, it is similar to how Moses Itauma was brought along. He is also with Queensberry.
Adeleye enters the Dec. 19 card with a mediocre 2-2 record in his last four fights since 2023. Filip Hrgovic beat him by a 10-round unanimous decision on Aug. 16, 2025, in Riyadh.
In Adeleye’s other defeat, he was stopped by Fabio Wardley in the seventh round on 28 October 2023. That fight was never even remotely competitive.
Adeleye’s highlight in the Hrgogic fight came in round eight when Filip dropped him. He got up and came back strong, pummeling Hrgovic with a flurry of shots. However, Adeleye had nothing left in the tank after that round and did nothing for the rest of the fight. The scores were 99-90, 99-90 and 98-91.
Pronunciation: Step up or step aside
Okolie has not challenged himself since his 12-round majority decision loss to Chris Billiam Smith on May 27, 2023. In Lawrence’s three fights since then, he has beaten these fighters:
- Kevin Lerena
- Hussein Mohammed
- Lukasz Rozanski: 39 years old
Okolie’s 6’6″ size and world championship credentials mean he doesn’t need to be coddled by his promoters the way they do. He is groomed like a fighter who has just turned pro and is brought together with great care in a seven-year plan. It’s a waste because he’s already in his 30s, and deeply lacking in coordination which can never be fixed.
Adeleye and Okolie should be fighting the top predators at heavyweight at this point in their careers. If their matches are to make them win long enough to make a killing with a giant payday, it probably won’t happen. Both have already shown that they can’t cut it against decent contenders. We saw this in Adeleye’s two defeats and Okolie’s loss to Billiam-Smith.
Last updated on 21/10/2025
