Lawrence Okolie can envisage a future heavyweight world title fight with former gym-mate Daniel Dubois.

Previously a cruiserweight champion, Okolie shored up his position in the WBC heavyweight rankings with a 10-round points win over South African southpaw Kevin Lerena on the undercard of Dubois’ fight with Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley Stadium.

Having to contend with a torn bicep from the start of the fight, he still managed to use his range to keep Lerena at bay, launching rights that pegged the South African back. Okolie tapped away at him with jabs and remained wary of tight hooks coming his way on the inside.

The Londoner took a unanimous decision win, 99-91 on one card and a 100-90 shut out on the other two.

It was an impressive showing, given the injury he was carrying and how Lerena had knocked Dubois down three times in 2022 before being stopped himself.

“I know I’m capable of that kind of thing. It’s just good to go out and execute and also adapting in the ring,” Okolie told Sky Sports. “It was good experience.

“I knew that Lerena was going to be tough, I knew he was going to fit, I knew that he was going to be dangerous from round one till the fight ended.”

Okolie is No 1 in the WBC’s heavyweight rankings, with Agit Kabayel their interim titlist and Usyk holding the full world championship.

The Londoner believes he is on the verge of a world title shot. “I think Usyk will relinquish the belts, but I don’t think it will happen till the end of the year,” Okolie said. “I think the belts become fragmented and I’m in position to slip in there.

“I want to be in prime position, fit, ready when it does happen.”

He added: “Kabayel’s interim world champion so if Usyk were to relinquish he would automatically become full world champion. God willing I maintain my No 1 ranking then I will be the mandatory for that fight.

“He’s a good fighter. But I don’t think you can win a heavyweight world title without beating a good fighter.”

Okolie wants to pick up the WBC belt, and can see a possible fight with Dubois happening in the future.

“Absolutely. Any heavyweight around at the moment now I look at as a potential opponent. I believe in myself, I believe I’m going to be able to get my hands on that world title,” he said.

“There’s no one that is off limits.”

Okolie has trained with Dubois both on the GB amateur squad and in Shane McGuigan’s gym. “We’ve done hundreds of rounds [in sparring]. It does make me confident,” he said.

He thinks Dubois will come back from his defeat to Usyk, though he considers the fight day ‘party’, which trainer Don Charles described as a “gathering”, to be a mistake.

“I just think it’s wrong for the type of person I believe Dan is. I don’t know what he’s like now but I think he’s the type of fighter that needs to be locked in a room with all the lights switched off and listening to scary music on the day of a fight and not having a good time,” Okolie said.

“Sorry, no. If he had won we would have said: ‘Wow, look at him, he knew what was coming.’ So that’s the risk that you run when you do stuff like that.”

But he concluded: “At a certain level when you’re good you’re good. Daniel Dubois’ good. Usyk’s obviously fantastic”