David Adeleye and Lawrence Okolie will share the same card in separate heavyweight fights on December 19th in Lagos, Nigeria.
Nigeria Card, Little Risk
It’s unclear who the recently beaten Adeleye (14-2, 13 KOs) and Okolie (22-1, 16 KOs) will fight. Fans on social media are disappointed that they’re sharing a card, but not fighting each other. This is a red flag that their fights will be gimmees. These two need to step it up already against higher rung opposition.
Olly Campbell’s Viewpoint: 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 not faced anyone resembling a contender since moving up to heavyweight in 2024.
The Queensberry-promoted Adeleye and Okolie share Nigerian roots, so fighting in that location rather than in the UK makes sense. Still, they need to fight top-tier contenders for them to be taken seriously. With the way they’re being matched, it’s similar to how Moses Itauma has been brought along. He’s also with Queensberry.
Adeleye comes into the December 19th 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 August 16, 2025, in Riyadh.
In Adeleye’s other defeat, he was stopped in the seventh round by Fabio Wardley on October 28, 2023. That fight was never even remotely competitive.
Adeleye’s high point in the Hrgogic fight came in round eight when Filip dropped him. He got up and came back strong, staggering Hrgovic with a flurry of shots. However, Adeleye had nothing left in the tank after that round and did nothing in the remainder of the fight. The scores were 99-90, 99-90, and 98-91.
Verdict: Step Up or Step Aside
Okolie hasn’t challenged himself since his 12-round majority decision loss to Chris Billiam Smith on May 27, 2023. In Lawrence’s three fights since, he’s beaten these fighters:
- Kevin Lerena
- Hussein Muhamed
- Lukasz Rozanski: 39-years-old
Okolie’s 6’6″ size and world championship credentials mean he doesn’t need to be babied by his promoters the way they’re doing. He’s being matched like a fighter that just turned pro and is being brought along with great care in a seven-year plan. It’s a waste because he’s already in his 30s, and deeply flawed in coordination that can never be fixed.
Adeleye and Okolie should be fighting the apex predators at heavyweight by this point in their careers. If they’re matches to keep them winning long enough to make a killing with a giant payday, it’s not likely to happen. Both have already shown that they can’t cut it against decent contenders. We saw that in Adeleye’s two defeats and Okolie’s loss to Billiam-Smith.
Last Updated on 10/21/2025
