BOXING champion Lawrence Okolie wants to move from working at McDonald's tills to opening his own restaurant.
Okolie was just 17 years old when he was inspired to boxing by watching Anthony Joshua win gold in the London Olympics. He was also working shifts at a fast food restaurant.
He is now mentored and managed by AJ. He also holds a WBO World title. But he wants to return to the place where it all began, as his boss.
Okolie is now a partner with McDonald's, his former employer. They have started a Plan for Change campaign.
He dreams of becoming a franchise owner to cap off a multi-billion-dollar return while continuing his boxing career.
SunSport interviewed Okolie, 28: "It is a very, very serious goal of mine.
It's all about the circle. McDonald's offered me a job and gave me my first real income.
"It was the exact same with my younger brother. At the time, that was huge for our family as it was money coming in.
"It wasn’t like we were in absolute poverty. But our little bit helped. My mum didn’t have to stress as much to get us other little bits.
It is a sign of progress to be able now to take ownership of the company.
"I have seen positives in my life, from being a cashier to owning a McDonald's.
McDonald's will launch a new campaign to connect youth workers to all McDonald's restaurants in each community by 2024. They will also offer 3,000 apprenticeships to people by 2025.
Okolie was at the London Victoria store, where he used to flip burgers and salt chips. He then took off his old apron.
It was here that he shared his story with staff to recollect where he came.
Okolie stated: "There is a lot of time that we see people achieve great to great things, and then they are gone."
They're far away, but they are reachable. How did you do it?'
"It makes them more referable."
Okolie is proud to be a vegan athlete, but he can still enjoy classic McDonald's fries when he's not at training camp.
"CHEEKY LITTLE MAACCIES"
He laughed and said, "I'm doing a meal prep while I train, but after that, I'll have a cheeky Maccies. You can't deny it, can you?"
"There will soon be a vegetarian burger, so I'm excited to try it."
Okolie, 35, won his title by knocking out Krzysztof Golowacki in the sixth round.
Then he defended it against Dilan Prasovic (26), who was beaten in three rounds.
Okolie, a 2016 Olympian, is now looking at unification bouts.
- World Champion Boxer Lawrence Okolie has joined forces with McDonald's to launch a new campaign to improve the lives of thousands of young people. To find out more, visit mcdonalds.co.uk/planforchange
