(March 26th) Lawrence Okolie will challenge Lukasz Rozanski for the WBC World Bridgerweight Championship on Friday, May 24th at the Podpromie Arena in Rzeszow, Poland, live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.

The former British, Commonwealth, European and WBO World Cruiserweight king makes his long awaited return to the ring as he bids to become a two-weight world ruler by taking on the undefeated Rozanski in the champion’s backyard.

Rozanski, who boasts a frightening knockout ratio with fourteen of his fifteen victories coming inside the distance, will be bringing big-time boxing back to Rzeszow having claimed the WBC Bridgerweight belt with a ferocious first-round stoppage win over the previously unbeaten Alen Babic in front of his home fans in April last year.

Okolie, the 31-year-old from Hackney, who represented Team GB at the 2016 Rio Olympics, first captured world honours in March 2021 with a knockout win over Rozanski’s countryman Krzysztof Glowacki.

‘The Sauce’ moves up in weight for his first professional bout above the 200lbs limit following a majority decision loss against former stablemate Chris Billam-Smith in an epic world title showdown in May 2023 at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth.

Lawrence Okolie said: “I’m excited to go to Poland and test myself yet again on away ground. Rozanski is a good champion, with an explosive style, but I’m coming to do some serious damage. He has never seen power like mine.”

Lukasz Rozanski said: “I’m defending my World Title in my own backyard, in my city, fighting against a former World Champion. It’s a fantastic fight, for moments like these, I’ve trained hard all my life.”

The WBC Bridgerweight World Title fight between Lukasz Rozanski and Lawrence Okolie will be the second event co-promoted by BOXXER and Knockout Promotions following a successful collaboration in April 2023.

BOXXER CEO and Founder Ben Shalom said: “We’re excited to be returning to Poland and working once again with our friends at Knockout Promotions for what promises to be another spectacular night of boxing. I was ringside to watch Rozanki beat Babic inside a round to claim the WBC Bridgerweight World Title so I know Lawrence will need to be at his best to bring the belt back to the UK. I believe at this heavier weight we will see the best and most destructive version of Lawrence Okolie.”

Andrew Wasilewski for Knockout Promotions said:  “I’m delighted that Knockout Promotions will be organizing another gala in cooperation with our English colleagues from BOXXER. We had hoped that last year’s gala would be the beginning of further collaboration, and it is happening. We are thrilled and can’t wait.”

This event is presented in association with official partner Integritas Property Group.

BOXXER is the fastest growing boxing promotional company in the UK. We believe in the power of boxing and the next generation. Our focus is to bring inclusivity, innovation and entertainment to one of the oldest sports in the world.

We partner with the world’s largest media partners to bring iconic nights and unforgettable events to boxing, and bring the professional sport into the next generation.

Founded by the youngest promoter in the UK, Ben Shalom, our journey started from humble beginnings and our commitment to the grassroots of the sport remains central to our mission.

With an incredible start to our tenure on Sky Sports in the UK, we now attract the very best talent from around the world having delivered World Championship boxing and record-breaking Box-Office events in front of sellout crowds, whilst maintaining our commitment to grassroots boxing through our tournament shows and continued investment.