Kevin Lerena is preparing for his WBC Bridgerweight World Title defence against Ryad Merhy in Belgium on May 30, and as always he is confident about his chances. Picture: Michael Sherman/IOL
Image: Michael Sherman/IOL
Kevin Lerena is already hard at work preparing for his next WBC Bridgerweight World Title defence against Ryad Merhy on May 30, in Belgium.
Though Lerena is coming off a loss against Lawrence Okolie in London in September, that was in the heavier division in the WBC Silver Heavyweight.
In the Bridgerweight division though, Lerena is the reigning champion, having last defended the title against Ukrainian Serhiy Radchenko in May last year in Pretoria.
In a one-sided fight on that occasion, the bout went three rounds when Radchenko miraculously made it through the second round after being knocked down by Lerena.
The fight was then ended just a matter of seconds into the third after Lerena landed another heavy blow.
Now against Merhy, Lerena will face the Belgian on his home turf. In fact, the pair met back in 2023 at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park.
“Merhy, three years ago we beat you, this time we’ll come to your home country, [and] put you to sleep,” said Lerena in a post on Instagram.
Lerena, who turns 34 early next month, has kept busy between his high-profile fights with the launch of Aquila Boxing Promotions (ABP) last year. The company has so far provided a good platform for up-and-coming boxers in South Africa.
Speaking ahead of ABP’s ‘Fistic Havoc’ last year, Lerena said: “It's great to provide an opportunity for 16 more fighters to focus their talent. And this is what boxing is all about. Creating talent, creating platforms and creating growth.”
Over the weekend, Lerena was in London to watch his personal friend and former World heavyweight champion Tyson Fury return to the ring against Arslanbek Makhmudov. Lerena often speaks of his relationship with Fury and has even posted videos of the pair sparring together in the past.