Kevin Lerena

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Kevin Lerena
Statistics
Nickname(s)
  • 2 Guns
  • The KO Kid
Weight(s)Cruiserweight
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
NationalitySouth African
Born (1992-05-05) 5 May 1992 (age 29)
Johannesburg, South Africa
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights27
Wins26
Wins by KO13
Losses1

Kevin Lerena (born 5 May 1992) is a South African professional boxer who has held the IBO cruiserweight title since 2017. As of September 2021, he is ranked as the world's fifth best active cruiserweight by The Ring magazine,[1] fourth by Transnational Boxing Rankings Board[2] and eight by BoxRec.[3]

Boxing career[]

Early career[]

Lerena made his professional debut against Justice Siliga on November 30, 2011, and won the fight by a second-round knockout. He amassed a 12-1 during the next four years, before challenging Deon Coetzee for the South African cruiserweight title. He beat Coetzee by unanimous decision.[4] He made his first and only title defense against Johnny Muller on April 24, 2016. He won the fight by a tenth-round technical knockout.[5]

Lerena was scheduled to face the one-time WBA World light heavyweight title challenger Roberto Bolonti on June 11, 2016. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 97-93, 97-93 and 96-94.[6]

Lerena was scheduled to face the undefeated Micki Nielsen on October 22, 2016.[7] He won the fight by majority decision. Two judges scored the bout 96-95 and 97-93 in his favor, while the third judge scored it as a 95-95 draw.[8]

Lerena was scheduled to fight Vikapita Meroro on February 4, 2017.[9] He won the fight by a fifth-round technical knockout. Meroro appeared to go down easy, while led fight promoter Rodney Berman to withhold his purse and state: "He quit, plain and simple".[10]

Lerena was scheduled to face Sergio Ramirez on April 23, 2017. He won the fight by unanimous decision, after the eight scheduled rounds were contested. It was the first time in three years that Lerena was scheduled to fight less than ten rounds.[11]

IBO Cruiserweight champion[]

Lerena was scheduled to face Maxim Maslov for the vacant IBO cruiserweight title on August 12, 2017, at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, South Africa.[12] On July 25, Maslov announced his withdrawal from the bout due to a recurring injury. He was replaced by the former WBC Continental cruiserweight champion Olanrewaju Durodola.[13] Durodola later withdrew from the bout as well, and was replaced by the former interim WBA Cruiserweight titlist Youri Kalenga. As Kalenga stepped in on ten days notice, the fight itself was postponed for September 9, 2017.[14] Lerena won the fight by split decision, with two judges awarding him 116-113 and 115-113 scorecards, while the third judge scored it 117-111 for Kalenga. Kalenga threw a great volume of hooks and power punches in the early rounds, which were awarded to him on all three of the judges cards. Lerena was able to rally in the mid rounds however, and did enough to edge the fight in his favor.[15]

Lerena made the first defense of his IBO title against the #13 ranked WBC cruierweight contender Dmytro Kucher. The bout was scheduled as the headliner of the Emperors Palace fight card, which was held on March 3, 2018. Fight promoter Golden Gloves announced that the winner of the title fight would face Roman Golovashchenko just six weeks later.[16] Lerena won the fight by a wide unanimous decision, with two judges awarding him eleven of the twelve contested rounds, while the third judge scored the fight 117-111 for Lerena.[17]

True to their word, promoter Golden Gloves scheduled Lerena to face Roman Golovashchenko in his second IBO cruierserweight title defense. Lerena entered the bout as the #6 ranked WBC and #4 ranked IBF contender, while Golovashchenko wasn't at the time highly regarded by any of the four major boxing governing bodies.[18] He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 116-111, 115-112 and 115-112. Lerena scored the sole knockdown of the fight in the fifth round, dropping Golovashchenko with a left hand, although he was unable to finish his opponent.[19]

In 2018 he tested positive for a banned substance by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. He was cleared of any wrongdoing by the IBO on February 2, 2019.[20]

Lerena made the third defense of his IBO title against the undefeated Artur ‘Thunder’ Mann. The fight was scheduled for March 16, 2019, to be contested at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, South Africa.[21] Lerena won the fight by a fourth-round technical knockout. He first knocked Mann down twice in the second round, with an uppercut and a flurry of punches. Mann was able to survive the third round, but was stopped by another flurry of punches in the fourth round, with 23 seconds left.[22]

Lerena was scheduled to make his fourth IBO title defense against Vasil Ducar on June 8, 2019. As Ducar was vastly less experienced with only nine fights up to that point, and as he hadn't faced the same level of competition as Lerena, he came into the fight as a significant underdog.[23] Lerena won the fight by a wide unanimous decision, with scores of 120-108, 119-109 and 117-111.[24]

Lerena was scheduled to make his fifth IBO title defense against Sefer Seferi on September 21, 2019, at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, South Africa. The 40-year old Seferi came into the fight as the #30 ranked IBO cruiserweight contender, and was seen as a large underdog.[25] Lerena won the fight by a third-round technical knockout. He landed a left hook to the body, followed by a left hook to the head, which floored Seferi. As Seferi was unable to rise from the canvas, referee Jean Robert Laine decided to stop the fight.[26]

Lerena made his sixth IBO title defense against the two-time WBO title challenger Firat Arslan on February 8, 2020, at the EWS Arena in Göppingen, Germany. He beat the 49-year old by a sixth-round technical knockout. Lerena staggered his opponent with a left hook, and landed a number of unanswered punches, which forced Arslan's corner to throw in the towel.[27]

Move to heavyweight[]

Lerena was scheduled to face Patrick Ferguson in a non-title, heavyweight bout on December 19, 2020, at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, South Africa. The bout, as well as the entire card that it headlined, was broadcast on UFC Fight Pass.[28] Lerena won the fight by a fifth-round technical knockout.[29]

Lerena is scheduled to face Bogdan Dinu for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title on March 26, 2022.[30]

Professional boxing record[]

Professional record summary
27 fights 26 wins 1 loss
By knockout 13 0
By decision 13 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
28 N/A N/A Romania Bogdan Dinu N/A - (10) 26 Mar 2022 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa For vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
27 Win 26–1 United States Patrick Ferguson TKO 5 (10), 1:49 19 Dec 2020 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
26 Win 25–1 Germany Firat Arslan TKO 6 (12), 1:13 8 Feb 2020 Germany EWS Arena, Göppingen, Germany Retained IBO cruiserweight title
25 Win 24–1 Albania Sefer Seferi TKO 3 (12), 2:30 21 Sep 2019 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa Retained IBO cruiserweight title
24 Win 23–1 Czech Republic Vasil Ducar UD 12 8 Jun 2019 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa Retained IBO cruiserweight title
23 Win 22–1 Germany Artur Mann TKO 4 (12), 2:37 16 Mar 2019 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa Retained IBO cruiserweight title
22 Win 21–1 Ukraine Roman Golovashchenko UD 12 2 Jun 2018 Azerbaijan Sarhadci Olympic Center, Baku, Azerbaijan Retained IBO cruiserweight title
21 Win 20–1 Ukraine Dmytro Kucher UD 12 3 Mar 2018 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa Retained IBO cruiserweight title
20 Win 19–1 Democratic Republic of the Congo Youri Kayembre Kalenga SD 12 9 Sep 2017 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa Won vacant IBO cruiserweight title
19 Win 18–1 Mexico Sergio Ramirez UD 8 23 Apr 2017 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
18 Win 17–1 Namibia Vikapita Meroro TKO 5 (10), 1:07 4 Feb 2017 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
17 Win 16–1 Denmark Micki Nielsen MD 10 22 Oct 2016 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
16 Win 15–1 Argentina Roberto Bolonti UD 10 11 Jun 2016 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
15 Win 14–1 South Africa Johnny Muller TKO 10 (12), 3:00 24 Apr 2016 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa Retained South African cruiserweight title;
Won vacant Pan African cruiserweight title
14 Win 13–1 South Africa Deon Coetzee UD 12 30 Jul 2015 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa Won South African cruiserweight title
13 Win 12–1 Ukraine Igor Pylypenko UD 6 14 Mar 2015 Denmark Super Arena, Ballerup, Denmark
12 Loss 11–1 South Africa Johnny Muller UD 10 15 Nov 2014 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
11 Win 11–0 Georgia (country) Gogita Gorgiladze KO 3 (10), 0:58 29 Sep 2014 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
10 Win 10–0 Argentina Marcos Antonio Aumada UD 8 9 Aug 2014 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
9 Win 9–0 Democratic Republic of the Congo Big Ben Marcell Mulumba PTS 6 22 Nov 2013 South Africa Cape Sun Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa
8 Win 8–0 Ghana Ibrahim Labaran TKO 2 (12), 0:30 21 Sep 2013 South Africa Heartfelt Arena, Pretoria, South Africa Won vacant WBF Africa cruiserweight title
7 Win 7–0 South Africa Khayeni Hlungwane PTS 6 27 Jul 2013 South Africa North Town Hall, Pretoria, South Africa
6 Win 6–0 Paraguay Javier Corrales UD 6 16 Feb 2013 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
5 Win 5–0 Democratic Republic of the Congo Jean Lutete Kamba TKO 3 (6), 2:26 19 Nov 2012 South Africa Cresta Shopping Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
4 Win 4–0 Democratic Republic of the Congo Alex Mbaya TKO 1 (4), 2:11 4 Oct 2012 South Africa Turffontein Racecourse, Johannesburg, South Africa
3 Win 3–0 Zambia Lucas Jere TKO 1 (4), 0:53 16 Jun 2012 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
2 Win 2–0 South Africa Gerson Singo KO 1 (4), 2:59 26 Mar 2012 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa
1 Win 1–0 South Africa Justice Siliga KO 2 (4), 2:43 30 Nov 2011 South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa

References[]

  1. ^ "Cruiserweight Rankings". ringtv.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Ratings". tbrb.org. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Boxing Ratings Cruiser". boxrec.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  4. ^ Armit, Eric. "Card Report: Kempton Park, South Africa: Kevin Lerena vs Deon Coetzee". ringnews24.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  5. ^ Mashego, Sabelo. "Lerena scores KO win over Muller". boksburgadvertiser.co.za. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  6. ^ Hobbs, Lesedi. "Lerena looking at the bigger picture". iol.co.za. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  7. ^ Jackson, Ron. "Tough one for Lerena". supersport.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Kevin Lerena Edges Micki Nielsen: Budler, Van Heerden Win". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  9. ^ Salazar, Francisco. "Cruiserweight Kevin Lerena to face Vikapita Meroro on Feb. 4". ringtv.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  10. ^ Press Release. "World ranked Cruiserweight Kevin Lerena stops Meroro in Five". ringnews24.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Lerena a unanimous points winner, but hugely unimpressive against Mexican spoiler". enca.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  12. ^ Kgosana, Rorisang. "Determined Kevin Lerena finally gets a title fight". citizen.co.za. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Nigerian Durodola to replace Maslov as Lerenas opponent". enca.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  14. ^ BoxingScene Staff. "Kevin Lerena vs. Youri Kalenga Clash For IBO Title on September 9". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  15. ^ BoxingScene Staff. "Kevin Lerena Decisions Youri Kalenga, Captures Vacant IBO Title". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  16. ^ Random Hits. "Kevin Lerena vs. Dmytro Kucher Showdown on March 3". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  17. ^ BoxingScene Staff. "Kevin Lerena Outboxes Dmytro Kucher, Retains IBO Belt". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  18. ^ Magasela, Bongani. "Lerena must knock Golovashchenko out". sowetanlive.co.za. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  19. ^ Salazar, Francisco. "Kevin Lerena drops and outpoints Roman Golovashchenko over 12 rounds". ringtv.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  20. ^ Magasela, Bongani (6 February 2019). "IBO Championship Committee clears Kevin Lerena of doping". SowetanLIVE. Retrieved 9 May 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ Magasela, Bongani. "Kevin Lerena, Artur Mann to shake Emperors Palace". heraldlive.co.za. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  22. ^ Magasela, Bogani. "Kevin Lerena Takes Out Artur Mann in Four Rounds". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  23. ^ Contreras, Robert Aaron. "Vasil Ducar Fights for Cruiserweight Title, Three Months After Competing in MMA". roundbyroundboxing.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  24. ^ Wainwright, Anson. "Kevin Lerena dominates Vasil Ducar to win UD in Johannesburg". ringtv.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  25. ^ Magasela, Bongani. "Kevin Lerena must prove mettle against Sefer Seferi". sowetanlive.co.za. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  26. ^ Salazar, Francisco. "Kevin Lerena stops Sefer Seferi in three rounds in South Africa". ringtv.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Firat Arslan verliert gegen Kevin Lerena und verpasst Rekord". stuttgarter-nachrichten.de. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  28. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. "Kevin Lerena vs Patrick Ferguson to air on UFC Fight Pass". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  29. ^ Salazar, Francisco. "Kevin Lerena Stops Patrick Ferguson in Five Rounds To Retain IBO Strap". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  30. ^ O'Hara, Ryan (26 December 2021). "Kevin Lerena To Face Bogdan Dinu On February 26, At Heavyweight". ringtv.com. Retrieved 4 February 2022.

External links[]

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