‘Two Guns’ fires a heavy warning
LERENA: BOLDLY PROCLAIMS HE IS ‘COMING FOR THE TOP 10’
Kevin “Two Guns’ Lerena boldly proclaimed he is “coming for the top 10” after scoring an impressive fourth round knockout against the Romanian Bogdan Dinu in his heavyweight debut at Emperors Palace on Saturday night.
He announced his arrival on the heavyweight scene emphatically by claiming the vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title in the headline bout on Golden Gloves’ “Heavyweight Mania” card.
The popular South African southpaw completely negated a height and reach disadvantage, smothering his towering opponent with his speed and power, to put an end to the contest 2:59 into the fourth with a booming straight left.
His opponent sank to the canvas for a second time in the round, this time for the maximum count from referee Jean-Robert Laine.
Fans could see the script was already nearing completion moments prior to that when a solid right uppercut dropped Dinu, but he got up, only to walk into another fierce onslaught.
Lerena stamped his authority on the fight from the outset, skilfully varying his fight plan with a measured assault to both the head and body.
Dinu had also been down in the third round but the referee ruled it an unintentional low blow and he was given time-out to recover.
But no sooner had he returned to battle, than he was floored by a barrage of combination punches for a mandatory eight count.
The South African (now 27-1–14 knockouts) has certainly made a big statement and it will be interesting to see what path is now plotted for him to elevate him into a major player in the money-spinning heavyweight division.
In the main supporting bout, Jean Roux’s brief reign as national heavyweight champion was brought to an abrupt end by Joshua Pretorius.
Flame-haired Pretorius scored a unanimous points decision boxing from behind a stinging, educated jab and and some snappy, lightning-fast combinations, to add the vacant African Boxing Union belt to his haul.
Talented SA junior middleweight champion Shervantaigh Koopman is ready for top-billing status as he moved to 10-0 with a fifth round technical knockout victory over a brave Jami Webb, to claim the IBF Africa strap.