Lerena clearly has what it takes
RISING STAR: SO-CALLED ‘ASSASSIN’ A BIG DRAWCARD
SA’s KO King never fought as an amateur boxer.
Promoter Rodney Berman calls him the Matinee Idol. He might, however, be called a chameleon. The fact of the matter is that Kevin Lerena, sitting opposite me at Northcliff Corner in Johannesburg, looks like a baby-faced assassin. Some would even say he is too pretty to fight.
Some could easily say this young family man – whose second child is on the way in May – is to clever to be a fighter. But he doesn’t only use his brain outside the ring – he does inside the square as well.
Lerena was always destined to be a sportsman, his cousins are household names in horse racing. He owns a racehorse named KO Kid, but did athletics at school at KES and even played first team rugby.
He grew up in Highlands North and never laced on a glove as an amateur and is one of a few fighters who served his apprenticeship while fighting for money.
His next bout, on the bill at Emperors Palace against Namibia’s Vikapita Neroro on February 4, is just another building block to set him up for a big future payday.
The likeable cruiserweight boasts a record of 16 wins in only 17 fights.
“I love the challenge and each fight poses a different challenge, but I have promised myself I will never be outworked. I was scheduled to spar 10 rounds today, but I did 12.”
Lerena promised himself at the outset that he would always be the man he is now. He loves family life and accepts his role as the breadwinner.
Baby face or KO King, South African boxing needs this southpaw. Local boxing needs a drawcard again and Lerena fits the bill almost perfectly.