How Kevin Lerena’s warrior spirit won him the biggest fight of his career

Kevin Lerena got through the biggest fight of his career unscathed thanks to his “warrior spirit” on Saturday night.  

The popular South African southpaw scored an unanimous point (118-110; 115-113; 116-112) victory over Belgium’s Ryad Merhy in their WBC bridgerweight title eliminator at Emperor’s Palace. 

Speaking inside the ring after the fight, Lerena expressed delight at having proven his doubters wrong. 

“Very few people gave me a chance against Ryad Merhy but my trainer (Peter Smith) gave me a chance. We backed ourselves and we had a perfect game plan,” he said with the famed green and gold WBC belt — albeit the silver one and not the real deal reserved for world champions — adorning his highly tattooed and well-sculpted upper body. 

“I brought my warrior spirit and I won. Merhy is a very good fighter.” 

The Under-Armour athlete was under pressure to deliver after losing his last fight to Daniel Dubois in a failed attempt to move up to the lucrative heavyweight division.  

Against an opponent who boasted a brilliant record of 31-1 with 26 stoppages, doubts abounded whether the former IBO cruiserweight champion could get back to winning ways. 

But a fight plan that saw Lerena cautiously stalking his adversary throughout the 12 rounds without really unleashing the bombs he has been known to blast opponents with did the trick. 

“When it comes to boxing, everybody is fit at the top. But the skill is what gets you over the finish line. I knew Merhy is a counter-puncher, so I was trying to put the pressure because he doesn’t really like fighting on the back foot.  

“When he is coming forward, he is dangerous, so I had to put him on the back foot and he had no answer for that.” 

Admittedly, this was not Lerena’s most polished showing: ‘It wasn’t the best performance in the sense of (my) being a bit flatfooted. But (it’s) back to the drawing board and I have a world title shot so I am grateful.” 

The victory has earned Lerena the right to challenge WBC world bridgerweight champion Lukasz Rozanski of Poland and Golden Gloves Promotions boss Rodney Berman, who put on Saturday night’s bill at Emperor’s Palace, has said he will stop at nothing to ensure the fight happens here. 

“I am not going to let it (the championship fight) go to Poland. Whatever it takes (to bring the fight to South Africa), we will raise the money,” Berman promised during a post-fight television interview. 

Such is the fanatical backing Lerena enjoys at the East Rand venue that it would be of great advantage for him to take on Rozanski there.  

He was spurred on by the vociferous crowd against Merhy and expressed his gratitude to them after his victory, having asked them to “make some noise once again”.  

“That’s the Lerena army,” shouted Berman. 

“The tickets were expensive but they still turned out. I am grateful for my Lerena armada.” 

He was more grateful to his trainer for seeing him through a tough fight. 

Smith acknowledged that Merhy was no slouch. 

“I knew we were in for the biggest fight of his career. But we had a strategy, we knew he is a smart fighter and a dangerous fighter. But we also knew his strategy, we knew his plan and you know what, it was game, set, match.”