Mairis Briedis eyes Lawrence Okolie cruiserweight unification clash
WBSS winner refuses to overlook next opponent despite future fight talks
Mairis Briedis (27-1, 19 KOs) has all the motivation he needs ahead of his IBF and Ring Magazine World Cruiserweight Title defence against German challenger Artur Mann (17-1, 9 KOs) on October 16 at the Arena Riga.
The Latvian boxing star returns to action following his spectacular victory over Yuniel Dorticos in the final of the World Boxing Super Series and is looking forward to boxing in front of his home fans again having been forced to fight his last contest behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions.
“I'm very happy to be able to have my people behind me again,” says Briedis. “I know there will be people from all over Latvia coming to support me and to enjoy another exciting night of boxing from the stands at Arena Riga.”
The three-time World Champion has put Latvia on the boxing map. Having claimed world honours for the first time in 2017, the 36-year-old has gone on to hold IBF, WBO, WBC and Ring Magazine World Titles at 200lbs, and is currently considered to be the number one Cruiserweight on the planet.
Ahead of his hotly-anticipated fight with Mann, Brieidis has revealed his pride at representing his country and admits his motivation comes from seeing the Latvian flag raised after he wins.
“I’m proud to represent Latvia and to fight for my people,” he says. “I always go out to do my best and I never take any shortcuts in training. That’s because I know I have to defend my belts to get the Latvian flag raised after the fight.”
There has been talk of Briedis facing British boxer Lawrence Okolie next in a mouth-watering Cruiserweight unification bout or moving up in weight where he could meet former foe Oleksandr Usyk in a huge Heavyweight rematch, but he would be joining a long queue of contenders.
Londoner Okolie is unbeaten in 17 contests, with 14 KOs, and has just recently retained his WBO strap with a third-round knockout against undefeated Dilan Prasovic on the undercard of his manager Anthony Joshua's heavyweight clash with Oleksandr Usyk.
Despite the speculation, the Latvian champion insists he is fully focused on his upcoming fight and is not underestimating the challenge posed by the former WBO International Champion and IBO World Title Challenger Mann.
“I have never overlooked any of my opponents,” he says. “My experience from my younger days has proven this doesn’t end well. I always remember it up to this day and I have the utmost respect for every opponent. This is boxing and Mann is not an easy opponent. My team has done the homework of analysing him and we know he's not an easy guy to face.”
Mairis Briedis defends his IBF and Ring Magazine World Cruiserweight Titles against Artur Mann on October 16 at the Arena Riga in Latvia. Tickets are on sale now and available to purchase via https://www.bilesuserviss.lv.
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