Lerena fighting in Saudi Arabia on Friday

South Africa’s top fighter Kevin Lerena, who fights from the southpaw stance, meets the unbeaten Australian heavyweight Justis Huni in a ten-round bout on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua v Francis Nganou heavyweight fight in Saudi Arabia on Friday night.

The 31-year-old Lerena (30-2; 14), who holds the WBC interim bridgerweight title, goes in against the much lesser experienced 24-year old Huni (8-0; 4), who fights from the orthodox stance and made his pro debut on 22 October 2020.

Huni, from Brisbane of Tonga descent, holds the IBF Pan Pacific, Oriental, and Pacific Boxing Federation heavyweight titles, faces an uphill battle against the fight-toughened and multiple title holder Lerena. Huni has won his last two fights on points over ten rounds.

Lerena, who is trained by Peter Smith, has recently spent time sparring with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who is one of the biggest heavyweights around.

The South African is coming off a good win over Senad Gashi in November in his most recent fight, and goes in against the rugged Huni with confidence.

One of the betting sites has Lerena at 9-2 and Huni at 1-3.