Kevin Lerena cut a relaxed but fiercely determined figure as he put in a final training session last week before boarding a plane to Belgium to defend his World Boxing Council (WBC) bridgerweight title this Saturday night.
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The task has been made a little tougher by the fact that he’ll be heading into his second title defence on his opponent Ryad Merhy’s home turf. But the 34-year-old is up for the challenge. And according to his trainer, Peter Smith, he’s never looked better.
“This has been one of the greatest camps that we’ve had right now,” said Smith. “Kevin’s in supreme condition. I think his mental state, as well as the durability over the course of his career is paying off now. So we are on fire, and we’re going to Belgium to make serious, serious noise.”
Lerena is also confident in the work he’s put in.
“We've left no stone unturned. I've done everything that I can to the best of my ability to prepare as hard as I can. So, now it's fight time,” said Lerena from his Fourways training base.
“I’m very nervous and the pressure is always on to perform. But, the pressure dictates tactics, and I believe I'm tactically very sound, and I've prepared as hard as I can.”
SECOND SHOT
This fight will not present completely new territory for Lerena. He’s fought Merhy before and beaten him. But that was two years ago at Emperor’s Palace in the WBC bridgerweight final eliminator title fight.
“I always look at it as a new fight because I believe he's going to take certain stuff out of our first fight, and he's going to improve. And I believe I'm going to improve, too. So, you're seeing two improved fighters… We've both evolved, I'd like to say,” he said.
“I'm preparing harder than I prepared for him in 2023, because the challenge and the step-up in my mind is greater than what 2023 was.”
While he may be better prepared, Lerena is reluctant to leave any decisions in the judges’ hands. Their last fight was decided on points, but this time, he wants a knockout.
“I believe he's going to fall into the same traps and do the same stuff that he did in 2023. Even if he doesn't and he's got a new game plan, we have a game plan for that… Mentally he knows that I've beaten him. It was a complete shutout on the scorecards, but now I'm going there to stop him.
“I don't like to predict because at the end of the day, when you go looking for the knockout, it very seldom comes. But I'm going to foreign territory, so I need to be precise, I need to seek, maraud, and destroy in order to get a victory… My mind is dialled in and I'm going to go there to knock Ryad Merhy out,” said the Joburg fighter, one of just four South Africans to have held a WBC title, along with Sugar Boy Malinga, Dingaan Thobela and the most recent addition less than two weeks ago, Siya Kuse.
WON’T GO 12…..
While not wanting to add any pressure to his fighter, Smith also doesn’t see the fight going the distance.
“We’re well prepared. Whatever he’s going to bring… I don’t see 12 rounds. I really don’t see 12 rounds,” he said.
“Kevin’s going to dominate. We’re not there to just participate, we need to go there to dominate. And that’s where we're standing strong.”
A win on Saturday could mean big things for Lerena, who is ultimately looking to take on some big names in the heavyweight division.
“A win is everything because it dictates big fights,” he explained. “A win for Kevin Lerena is massive because there are big fights to be made on the biggest stages in the world. We've been there before, we're going back there, and it's just about winning and winning in a great fashion.”
While Lerena admits that there are inevitably nerves in the final days leading up to a big fight, he always looks to keep calm, control the controllables, and channel that nervous energy.
“The tensions can rise. There's a little bit of, I wouldn't say anxiety, I'd say anticipation. I'd say nerves, which are good nerves, but now it's about channelling those nerves into a roaring blaze and using the pressure of being the world champion to dictate my tactics, and my tactics are to win and to be victorious on Saturday evening... I’m tuned in to do the business.”