Lerena has an added incentive
The journey continues for International Boxing Organisation cruiserweight champion Kevin Lerena at Emperors Palace tonight.
Lerena defends his title against Albanian Sefer Seferi for for the seventh time and is one fight away from being rewarded a Gold and Diamond Championship Ring by the IBO.
Seferi (23-2-1) in comparison to Lerena (23-1-0) has an almost identical record as to the number of bouts.
Seferi, who a year ago travelled to Manchester, UK to take on former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, has now scaled down to the cruiserweight division.
At this week’s pre-fight medical it was clear he is far better suited at cruiserweight.
At 27 Kevin Lerena is a rising star, his trainer Peter Smith s saying ‘’one step at a time, we do this together’’.
The main supporting bout between WBA Africa Champion Jabulani Makhense and Marios Matamba (DRC), the IBF Africa champion, is also a fight worthy of top billing.
For the first time two champions in the junior-welterweight division will unify their Africa titles.
And it doesn’t end there, as both fighters are unbeaten. Makhense (8-0-0) has won four of fight by way of knockout and Matamba (11-0-0) has recorded nine knockouts.
The rest of the undercard shows Aidan Quin taking on Thembani Mhlanga in junior-middleweight bout over four rounds, a light-heavyweight fight over four rounds between Michael Markram and Mduduzsi Moyo and Keaton Gomes and Lebogang Mashitoa fighting for the Gauteng cruiserweight title over 10 rounds.