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Lawrence Okolie vs Kevin Lerena Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter
After a successful debut at heavyweight in December, Lawrence Okolie will look to keep making inroads in his new division Saturday night when he clashes with Kevin Lerena.
The fight will serve as the co-feature to the massive Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois rematch at Wembley Stadium, and exclusively on DAZN PPV.
Okolie (21-1, 16 KOs) is coming off a first-round KO of Hussein Muhamed, while Lerena (31-3, 15 KOs) produced a third-round TKO of Serhiy Radchenko in May to rebound from a hard-fought loss to Justis Huni in March 2024.
Considering this is a high-stakes matchup for both, DAZN News analyzes the keys to victory for Okolie and Lerena heading into their heavyweight bout.
Lawrence Okolie’s Keys to Victory
Stab jab to disrupt Lerena’s offense
Against a pressuring Kevin Lerena, a stab jab to the body could not only keep the South African heavyweight at bay, it could also force him to restart his offense each time.
Okolie already has this shot in his arsenal. Against a rugged Lerena, the stab jab is a key.
Unload right hook around the guard
Okolie wraps his right hook around opponents’ guards effectively and with some pop.
Considering his four-inch height advantage, Okolie will have a great vantage point of unloading this shot to blast an encroaching Lerena each time he gets too close.
Overhand right in traffic
In moments when a fire fight erupts, Okolie’s overhand right in traffic could be his best bet at backing Lerena up or significantly damaging the South African fighter.
If Lerena works his way inside effectively, Okolie might need to detonate this weapon often as a counterpunch with timing toward eye-popping results.
Kevin Lerena’s Keys to Victory
Don’t stand too upright
Kevin Lerena stands too upright at times with little to no head movement and it makes him a stationary target.
That cost him against Justis Huni, though Lerena finished that fight on a solid note.
Against Lawrence Okolie, who is capable of letting his hands fly and can drive his punch count up, Lerena must show even the slightest movement to make sure he is not a standstill landing pad.
Pressure, keep busy
Lerena naturally pressures and cuts off the ring with the ability to produce high-powered blunt punches that do damage.
Him pressuring and keeping his punch output relatively high are his best bets toward hurting Okolie and derailing his heavyweight ambitions.
Unleash counter left hook
In the final round 10 against Huni in March 2024, Lerena unloaded a picture-perfect left hook that crashed against Huni’s jaw and put the Australian on jelly legs as he stumbled around the ring. With a bit more time, he might have stopped Huni but instead fell short via unanimous decision.
If the southpaw can time and land a counter left hook against Okolie, it can be a fight-altering punch that the rugged South African fighter rides to an upset.
Usyk vs Dubois 2 only on DAZN
Watch Usyk versus Dubois 2 live and exclusive on DAZN PPV this Saturday - July 19 - for £24.99 UK; $59.99 US; $19.99/equivalent ROW.
