Just been announced by Hearn 6th of June at York hall I think Doyle is done and should be a straightforward body shot stoppage from bellotti How about the okolie fight? I’ve not seen Watkins fight, does he have the goods to beat Lawrence? Cheeseman also on the card probably against a eurobum
Okolie is full of it. If you saw the interview on IFL. He tries to pretend that Watkins is a tougher fight than Chamberlain. This is a “step forward” according to him. Looking at Watkins record, is like looking at a bumfest of epic proportions. He is one of those fighters who has a very deceiving unbeaten record in my view. Okolie will bladder him early.
I have seen or attended most of Watkins fights. He is strong with a big punch on him. The only issue I have with him is I am not sure about his chin as I have seen him go down to a weak opponent. Then again he did get up from it and then KO the other guy in the following round. Personally I hope Watkins wins and I will be cheering him on however realistically I see a win for Okolie.
Watkins to knock down Okolie early and then just get smothered in the nasty style of Okolie who is a more athletic version of John Ruiz.. Okolie did the business against Chamberlain but god that was awful to watch. He's just untidy but still gets the job done somehow, think he's one of those who will improve in time but does whatever he has to do to get the W and style and substance takes a backseat.
The Watkins bout is a decent enough test for Okolie. I wouldn't say it was evenly matched but there is potential for a slip up. Okolie didn't have to worry about anything coming back from Chamberlain, he will with Watkins. He might not be as tricky as Chamberlain but he's quicker and has way more pop. He's prone to switching off a little and sometimes running out of ideas when his opponent stands up to his shots. His defence is also much more porous than Chamberlain's and I don't think he holds a shot as well. I've felt Watkins has been slightly under the radar and a bit underrated for a while so would have been much more excited about this if it wasn't for Okolie's 'hug and slug' tactics last time out. I could see him feeling the need to employ similar tactics to prevent Watkins from landing anything big. I think a lot more pride was at stake with the Chamberlain fight though. You could tell Okolie was seething over Chamberlain's mocking of him. He may have fought with a mind that ensuring victory at all costs was of priority over the fashion in which it came. Less of a surprise would be if Watkins was the one to try and smother Okolie to prevent him from checking that chin. Good level of matchmaking either way.
Really hope Watkins wins. it’s a big opportunity for Paddy Fitzpatrick, who’s rep has been tarnished badly after the Groves debacle in Vegas.