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Lawrence Okolie To Top Stacked Nigeria Card In December

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Joseph Hammond | Last updated Oct 23, 2025 10:09 AM ET

Nigerian-British heavyweight Lawrence Okolie will headline the main event of a forthcoming card in Nigeria. Okolie, a former world champion at cruiserweight, will be in the ring on December 19th in Lagos against an opponent to be named.

"Big time boxing comes to Lagos," said Okolie (22-1, 16 KOs). ”This will be a historic moment for Africa, my family, and my career. There's been a lot of talk, but let’s see who really wants to dance. Detty December just got Saucy. Thanks to Frank, George, and Queensberry for making this happen for me.”

Amir Khan, who has promoted a series of fights in Africa, including those in Nigeria and Ghana, is also involved in this one. African boxing is heating up with former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (28-4) also eyeing a possible comeback fight in Nigeria, a return that could potentially be one of the biggest events in the history of African boxing.

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"Lagos is about to witness something special," Khan said. “This event brings together explosive heavyweights and Nigeria’s rising stars, backed by the global reach of Queensberry Promotions and DAZN. I'm proud to be part of a night that will inspire the next generation of African fighters.”

The card is named ‘Chaos in the Ring,’ which doesn’t precisely describe Okolie's measured pace in the ring. Okolie isn't the most explosive fighter in the world, but he is a two-time former world champion looking to stake his claim as a heavyweight.

It does describe the other prominent Nigerian-British fighter on the card, David Adeleye. He has been 2-2 in his last four fights, losing and winning the British heavyweight title during that period. In that sequence, he was stopped by Fabio Wardley, had a first-round KO victory over Solomon Dacres, and had a controversial win over Jeamie Tshikeva.

He nearly stopped Filip Hrgovic in a fight he went on to lose in Saudi Arabia. Adeleye is a big puncher, and Queensberry promoter Frank Warren has floated his name as a future opponent for David Allen.

The Next Chapter of Chaos Begins! @Lawrence_tko & @DavidAdeleye prepare to make STATEMENTS in Lagos, Nigeria this December pic.twitter.com/vaJ2KcwGWI
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) October 21, 2025

"Nigeria has a proud boxing history," said Hall of Fame Promoter Frank Warren. "And we're extremely pleased to bring this opportunity for two of our leading fighters. Queensberry is the Home of the Heavyweights, and we look forward to our guys doing the business in Lagos in December."

For Okolie, he eyes a chance to fight Oleksander Usyk before those all-time greats hang them up. The two fighters appeared on the same card on December 7, 2024, at the Wembley Arena in London, where both fighters were born.

This article first appeared on KO on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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