After what many described as a mis-match against Ukranian Serhiy Radchenko in early May, South Africa’s Kevin Lerena will be looking to make a statement against Lawrence Okolie, in his WBC Bridgerweight title defence, next month at Wembley Stadium.
As Lerena points out, a number of the heavyweights have avoided jumping into the ring with the Southpaw, and fighting in the high-profile event in London on July 19 will have come like mana from heaven for the boxer as his WBC Silverweight champion, Okolie, accepted the clash.
Fights have been difficult to secure for Lerena, and a loss to Justis Huni in March last year did not help his cause. That fight in particular would have been incredibly tough for Lerena, as the bout took place the day after his mother died.
Lerena Aims for WBC Silver Heavyweight Glory at Wembley Stadium
The Radchenko fight was Lerena’s first in over a year, and the Ukrainian was no match for the boxer on his home turf. Radchenko lost in a Technical Knockout in just the third round.
Now the chance for Lerena to showcase his skills on a much greater stage has finally arrived.
“The fans are going to be mad. To headline as the co-main event at Wembley Stadium again in front of 97,000 people. It’s an absolute honour,” Lerena told SportsBoom.com in an exclusive interview.
“The preparations are going well. I’m feeling strong and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m looking forward to becoming the new WBC silver heavyweight champion.”
Beating Okolie would open a number of doors for Lerena.
“It’s huge. This means [if I win] I’m number one mandatory in the heavyweight division and I’ll challenge for a heavyweight world title. So essentially that’s the goal of becoming the three-weight division world champion. Unparalleled, I guess.”
@Michael_Sherman
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