Friday 26 October 2018 18:27, UK
Lawrence Okolie still wants to inflict a knockout on Isaac Chamberlain, but says Luke Watkins could beat him to the punch.
Okolie will watch with interest when Chamberlain faces Watkins - in a clash of his two former cruiserweight opponents - on Saturday's undercard for John Ryder's WBA final eliminator against Andrey Sirotkin, live on Sky Sports.
Chamberlain climbed off the canvas twice in a points loss to Okolie in February, while Watkins suffered a third round knockout in June, but the British champion insists the Swindon-based fighter could pull off a stunning stoppage at the Copper Box Arena.
"Isaac is very quick, and a very sharp boxer, but I feel like Watkins has the edge in power," Okolie told Sky Sports.
"It will be a good fight, a good-looking fight as well, but I feel like Watkins will either stop him, or Chamberlain should win by points.
"It's a 50-50 fight and I don't know who is going to win, but Watkins is more likely to stop him.
"He's a lot physically stronger, from the time I spent in the ring with him, and also he actually knocks people out when they fight, where Chamberlain is more known for grinding people down for stoppage victories.
"But I think Watkins should be in great shape, so it should be a great fight."
A heated feud with Chamberlain did not produce the expected fireworks and Okolie does have the lingering desire to deliver a more emphatic defeat on his London rival.
"For me, I personally would like to knock Isaac out," said the Hackney boxer.
"But at the same time, it's not a big deal for me, if we fight again or not. It's more for him to be hunting me, than me hunting him."
Watch John Ryder's WBA final eliminator against Andrey Sirotkin, with Ted Cheeseman v Asinia Byfield, Ryan Doyle v Jordan Gill & Isaac Chamberlain on Copper Box Arena bill, Saturday, from 7pm on Sky Sports Action.
