England-based Nigerian boxer, Lawrence Okolie’s plan to stage a major bout at a venue in Nigeria this month has been struck with a huge obstacle, Sports247 reports.
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This is sequel to very stiff opposition to the fight by Nigerian-boxing promoter, Mike Ofo, who slammed the procedure through which his ward, Dulian Whyte was cornered into a likely face-off with Okolie.
While pointing out that Whyte would actually prefer to fight either Derek Chisora or Moses Itauma, Ofo alleged that there is something mysterious about the emergence of Okolie’s name.
Ofo went on to accuse Britain’s former lower weight world champion, Amir Khan of trying to muscle Whyte into a fight with Okolie, whose talent he opined is not worthy of a date in the ring with Whyte.
Ofo disclosed that another Nigerian-born promoter, Dr Eze Adamu is involved in packaging Okolie to lure Whyte into a fight in Nigeria, but further pointed out that the prize money on offer is too low to excite him.
He added: “I didn’t even tell Dillian, because it just made no sense. You want to have a fight with three weeks’ notice, with money so low that Dillian hasn’t made it in the last 10 years or so?
“I actually spoke to the Nigerian promoter, Dr Eze, four weeks ago about making a fight for Dillian in Nigeria, and we were told the budget wasn’t there.
“Now Amir Khan’s team comes three weeks out and tries to make a fight. But, in reality, Okolie only grabs headlines when he mentions Dillian’s name. Nobody is talking about his fight.”
He continued by taking a swipe at the quality that Okolie is made of, with declaration that the fighter needs big named opponents to keep himself relevant.
“As soon as he mentions Dillian Whyte’s name, he is getting headlines. He’s probably the most boring champion we have had in the last 30 years.
“He doesn’t bring anything to the table. When the going gets tough, he reverts to his holding tactics. If they want a fight, come with a sensible offer and with enough time for Dillian to have a training camp.
“The fight with Chisora is the one Dillian wants, and it is the one we want,” Ofo stressed.
