Blackpool's Matty Askin not fazed by Wembley showdown with Lawrence Okolie

Matty Askin is just days away from the biggest bout of his career but his trainer insists the Blackpool boxer is just treating the occasion like any other fight.
Askin is looking to defend his British titleAskin is looking to defend his British title
Askin is looking to defend his British title
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Blackpool's Matty Askin to defend British title against Lawrence Okolie at Wembl...

The cruiserweight defends his British title against the unbeaten Lawrence Okolie at Wembley Stadium on September 22.

The fight will form part of the undercard for Anthony Joshua’s clash with Russia’s Alexander Povetkin with around 80,000 fans set to pack out the national stadium.

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Some fighters might get overawed by such an occasion but that’s unlikely to happen with Askin, according to his trainer Mike Jennings, who is no stranger to the big nights himself having boxed in Madison Square Garden as a professional.

“Matty’s doing really well, he’s flying at the minute,” Jennings told The Gazette.

“Sparring has been going really well and his fitness is fine, so we’re looking forward to it.

“Matty doesn’t get caught up in the occasion or anything like that, it’s just another fight for him. It’s strictly business.

Okolie is undefeated in nine fightsOkolie is undefeated in nine fights
Okolie is undefeated in nine fights
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“I’m like Matty, I’ve done all this myself when I was boxing in America and that sort of thing, so it’s just another fight that we’re desperate to win.”

Askin (23-3-1) has been sparring with a number of heavyweights to prepare for Okolie’s power.

Tyson Fury’s cousin, Hughie, has spent time in the Jennings gym as well as fellow heavyweight Nathan Gorman.

“It’s been brilliant for him,” Jennings said when asked about the sparring with Fury.

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“Hughie is a big, tall lad and he’s a heavyweight so he can punch a bit. It’s been perfect preparation for Matty.

“He’s had other sparring partners too, so it’s all been good.

“Okolie has obviously got power, he’s got range and he’s unpredictable in the way he throws his shots. So we’ve got to work round that.

“But with the sparring we’ve had, we’ve managed to cover that range and that power.

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“It’s just a matter of making sure Matty doesn’t get caught with one of those straight hands down the middle.

“No one knows much about Okolie. You can’t go off his previous opponents too much because, no disrespect to any of them, but they’re not the best.

“He had the step up against Isaac Chamberlain which went the distance and it wasn’t the best fight to watch. There was a lot of holding.

“Then the fight after that was against Luke Watkins and he boxed exactly the way Okolie would have wanted him to. Matty isn’t going to do that.

“Matty has his own game plan and hopefully if he sticks to it, he’ll win.”