Eddie Hearn seeking late replacement to fight Lawrence Okolie on Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev undercard

Undefeated Briton was set to face Krzysztof Glowacki, but the Pole has contracted coronavirus

Lawrence Okolie is waiting to hear whether he will still be competing for a world title next weekend after the news that Krzysztof Glowacki has pulled out of their scheduled fight for the vacant WBO cruiserweight championship.

Glowacki tested positive for coronavirus, ruling the Pole out of a clash against the unbeaten Okolie on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev on 12 December at Wembley Arena.

Promoter Eddie Hearn is now trying to find a suitable replacement for the 34-year-old on late notice in order to keep the title on the line.

Matchroom wrote in a tweet: “Krzysztof Glowacki has tested positive for Covid-19 and is out of next Saturday’s fight with Lawrence Okolie on the #JoshuaPulev undercard. A new opponent will be announced shortly.”

READ MORE: 1,000 fans allowed at Joshua vs Pulev fight

Hearn added: “The search is on..Any top 10 cruiserweights slide into my DM's.”

Okolie, who represented Team GB at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, has won all 14 of his professional contests – 11 inside the distance – although he has not fought since stopping Yves Ngabu in October last year to win the European title.

A fight against Glowacki, the former WBO champion at 200lbs, would have represented Okolie’s toughest test to date.

Glowacki has lost just twice in his 33 professional fights, to Oleksandr Usyk in September 2016 and Mairis Briedis in his most recent outing 18 months ago.

This week, it was announced that 1,000 fans will be able to attend the Joshua vs Pulev card in London following the end of a national lockdown.

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