Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Lerena needs to prove he is a ‘heavy’
IT’S the moment of truth for South Africa’s heavyweight hopeful, Kevin Lerena, as he steps into the ring to meet Romanian Bogdan Dinu for the World Boxing Association’s vacant Inter-Continental title over 12 rounds on the Golden Gloves bill at the Emperors Palace in Johannesburg tonight.
Many boxing pundits say he is stepping into the unknown as the 29-year-old Lerena has never fought as a heavyweight in all his career. He has been a cruiserweight – a credible one, too. But some, like his handlers Golden Gloves, believe he has the ability to become the greatest heavyweight in the country since the days of Gerrie Coetzee, Francois “White Buffalo” Botha and Corrie Sanders.
Coetzee won the WBA belt in 1983 with a 10th round knockout of Michael Dokes, while Botha outpointed Axel Schultz over 12 rounds to win the IBF belt in 1995, and WBU champion Sanders won the WBO crown with a second-round stoppage of defending champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2003.
Lerena is not a big-built heavyweight like Coetzee, Botha and Sanders and has bulked up. He is expected to come in at around 110kgs but he is shorter and stronger than many think.
“He is like a Mike Tyson-type heavyweight and gets busy immediately. He’s good, make no mistake and we are all very keen to see how he goes in this heavyweight division,” said Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves.
He was cagey when asked to predict which way this fight will go.
“We are certainly hoping he does well. This is a whole new ball game for him. But like I said so many times the Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield mould of boxers did well in the heavyweight division so I see no reason why Kevin cannot do the same,” Berman concluded.
Lerena is 1.85m tall, he has fought 27 times, won 26 (13 knockouts) and has one loss.
The 35-year-old Romanian, who is 1.95m tall, weighs 135kg and is a banger of sorts. He’s been in the heavyweight division for a long time – 23 fights, 20 wins (16 knockouts) and three losses.
He lost his last fight, a battle for the WBA Interim title, via a second round knockout after British heavyweight Daniel Dubois landed a right to the chin, but he says: “That was a long time ago (June 2021). I’ve learnt from that and I’m a better fighter now and far more experienced too.”
He had two wins before that loss – he ko’d South Africa’s Osborn Machimana in the fourth round of their 10 rounds encounter in Bulgaria in December 2019 and in October 2020 he knocked out Germany’s Frank Bluemle in the second round of their 10 rounds encounter.
“I’ve got it in me,” he said confidently after the medical and the weight-in yesterday. “I’m here for a reason – to win the vacant Inter-Continental heavyweight title. It’s long overdue and tonight is a stepping stone for me to greater things ahead.”
The main supporting bout is another heavyweight 12-rounder where Juan Roux of Cape Town defends his crown against KwaZulu-Natal’s Joshua Pretorius.
Both fighters are come-forward boxers and their handlers have predicted a “real brawl” over the distance.
The South African Junior Middleweight title fight between Jamie Webb and Shervantaigh Koopman is another 12-round encounter to keep the fight fans glued to their seats.
The pick of the undercard features KwaZulu-Natal’s middleweight sensation Terence Khumalo against Mbiya Kanku over six rounds.
Berman has predicted a promising future for the Clermont youngster who has had four wins in four fights.