I dont care for Okolie but he's arguably the top guy at cruiserweight and even though his style is awful to watch, I'd give him credit if he convincingly beat Briedis. Why hasn't Okolie gone that direction ? Has he been ducking ?
Briedis wants to make as much money as possible and Okolie is not a big draw so Eddie is weary to give it to him
Yes this is the obvious reason, money isnt there for Briedis. Dont know why theres idiots in the thread saying Okolie is ducking
I think with Briedis getting into the ring after the Okolie fight that's a sign that he probably lined up next. Briedis is desperate for Paul money but that's not going to happen and biggest money fight at CW is Okolie.
I'm not a huge Okolie fan because of his style but I'm not prepared to be too upset that he hasn't fought the #1 in the division yet. He's 18 fights in. He's like a boring Wilder. His physical gifts got him to the Olympics but he still needs a ton of development. Sunday you could see some learning but also there are big holes in his game. Maybe this fight taught him enough so he can fight Briedis and leave in an ambulance instead of a hearse? But if he actually wants to win he needs a couple more tough opponents.
Okolie looked awful against Cieslak, a guy who literally brought nothing to the table. I thought Okolie's punches looked long, slow and almost telegraphed. Cruiserweight is a wasteland of a division.
Really the only remaining credible opponent after Cieślak. If both Okolie and Briedis move up to HW you can pretty much stick a fork in CW. Going to be a wasteland for a while until a new generation of prospects emerges.