Trent Reinsmith
- Date & Location: Saturday, September 25 at Tottemham Hostspur Stadium in London, England
- Odds: Lawrence Okolie (-3500) vs. Dilan Prasovic (+1500) via BetUs
- Prediction: Okolie via knockout
On Saturday, Anthony Joshua faces Oleksandr Usyk. The bout, which is scheduled for 12 rounds, sees Joshua put his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles on the line. The undercard of that event sees another fighter put his title on the line as Lawrence Okolie defends his WBO cruiserweight title against mandatory challenger Dilan Prasovic.
Both fighters enter the contest with undefeated records and an abundance of knockouts on those records. Okolie is 16-0 with 13 KO’s to his name, while Prasovic enters the bout with a 15-0 record and 12 knockout wins.
The London-born Okolie won the vacant WBO cruiserweight title in March when he scored a sixth-round knockout win over Krzysztof Głowacki. He has won his six most recent scraps via knockout.
Prasovic, who calls Montenegro home, has three straight knockout wins to his name. He is coming off a May stoppage of Tomislav Rudan.
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OKOLIE vs. PRASOVIC PREDICTION & PICK
Expectations are incredibly high that this will be one of the better under-the-radar boxing matchups of the year. Both men have speed and the ability to stop a fight with a single blow. It’s not out of line to think this fight could end with the first clean connection.
A glance at the odds tells one that this fight was booked as a showcase for Okolie and to get the crowd pumped for the Joshua fight. It should do that — even if Prasovic pulls off the shocking upset. Which, I don’t think will happen.
Okolie has faced better quality opponents and I think he makes his turn toward becoming a star in this scrap.
Prediction: Okolie at -4000 via BetOnline
BETTING VALUE WITH OKOLIE
To be blunt, there is not a great deal of value in betting the favorite here, unless you want to go the risky route and pick a finishing round or the even more precarious path of picking this fight to go the distance. I’d feel comfortable putting something on Okolie to win by knockout, but I would do so knowing the return is going to be negligible.
All the value here is on the underdog pulling the upset. With Prasovic as a +1600 underdog, the return on him is probably worth a small investment. If you do go that route, understand how risky that bet is.
Prediction: Okolie via knockout at -4000 via SportsBetting
WHO HAS THE EDGE?
The prevailing wisdom heading into this contest is that Prasovic has the proverbial puncher’s chance to get the win. That is to say, he does not have much of a chance at all. That’s not to say he isn’t a good fighter. He is. His footwork is solid, he can switch stances with ease and his power is admirable. However, the same can be said of Okolie and then some. At this point in their careers, the 28-year-old Okolie is a superior fighter to the 26-year-old Prasovic.
TALE OF THE TAPE: OKOLIE vs. PRASOVIC
| Lawrence Okolie | Category | Dilan Prasovic |
| 28 | Age | 26 |
| 16-0-0 | Record | 15-0 |
| 13 | Knockout Wins | 12 |
| 3 | Decision Wins | 0 |
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Okolie is not a big name in the boxing world, but that could change in a big way if he gets a showcase win on this card. That’s what his handlers are hoping for on Saturday. By the same token, with so much attention on this being a possible breakout matchup for Okolie, an upset win from Prasovic could launch him toward stardom.
This fight should be a launching point for the winner.
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