Winning has gotten me to where I am today, says Lerena

THE 32-year-old, the first ever bridgerweight to come out of the African continent, will go up against Ukraine's Serhiy Radchenko at the Sunbet Times Square Arena in Pretoria at the start of May in what will be his first defense after being awarded the title with English fighter Lawrance Okolie relinquishing it to pursue his heavyweight dreams.

- OBAKENG MELETSE

The then interim bridgerweight holder Lerena assumed the title and in a career that started without any amateur background, he has defied all the odds and he is currently the flagbearer of South African boxing and a lot will rely on his upcoming fight against the Ukrainian international.

Lerena has been amongst the standout boxers in recent years in a sport that is considered to be on a downward spiral; his participation in the bridgerweight and heavyweight divisions has given hope to the masses that boxing can once again become a hugely followed sport in the country.

Lerena had a sniff at defeating current IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, sending him to the mat on three occasions before the Englishman roared back into the fight to win on a technical knockout in the third round in December 2022.

He credits the cruiserweight division, where he successfully defended the IBO title in that division on seven occasions.

And he also took a lot of lessons from high-profile fights with the likes of Dubois and also his loss against heavyweight Justis Huni as the stepping stones that have helped him be where he is today and believes a lot of his development came in the cruiserweight division.

"Essentially it was the cruiserweight division that helped me, because I defended the world title seven times there, then I got a shot at Daniel Dubois for the WBA World Title, and then we came down to bridgerweight.

Lerena told the Independent Media. "Winning and winning well have got me to where I am today.