Lerena takes title in boring hit and hold battle

SOUTH African Kevin Lerena won the International Cruiserweight title and the pot of cash at Emperor’s Palace on Saturday night, but it was an uninspiring affair that was more like wrestling than boxing.

For 10 rounds he and his Danish opponent Micki Nielsen engaged in a game of hit-and-hold that got more tedious as the evening wore on with referee Stan Christodolou having to constantly pull the men apart.

After 10 rounds of “action” Lerena was awarded a majority decision: 96-95, 97-93, 95-95.

Lerena justified his tactics by saying he opted to tie the Dane up on account of his power, but in football terms, that’s the same as parking the bus: you get the result, but you gain no fans.

Bonecrusher Smith did this years ago against Mike Tyson and it’s all he’s remembered for: being too timid to engage with the heavyweight champion.

The irony is that twice in the fight, in the seventh and eighth rounds, Lerena visibly rocked Nielsen, but he was too busy tying him up to notice.

Instead of showing ambition, he resorted to tying – the opportunity was lost.

His win was due to a strong showing down the stretch when, ironically enough, he finally let his hands go and enjoyed success.

It demonstrated the folly of his overall game plan, particularly as Nielsen was there to be hit and Lerena’s shots appeared to have impact.

The SA fighter will argue that Nielsen was no less negative, and he had to do what was required to get the result, but that’s short-termism in the extreme.

Fans won’t stick around long if boxers don’t put on a show worthy of the hype.

There was far better value in Hekkie Budler’s WBA Pan-African fight against local rival Siyabonga Siyo.

After his recent defeat, Budler was in supreme form as he romped to a unanimous points win: 118110, 116-112, 116-112.

The former world champion was in control from the start, his right hand working a charm and his aggressive attitude paying rich dividends. – ANA