Johannesburg - It’s just as well that Kevin Lerena has been training hard during the holiday season.
The ambitious cruiserweight, who enjoyed a breakout year in 2016, is being lined up to fight for the WBC International cruiserweight silver belt – but first, he must prevail at Emperors Palace in the coming weeks.
On February 4, he faces Namibian hard man Vikapita Meroro, after which he is being shipped to the US.
Post-Emperors, he will fight on a Banner Promotions bill in America, probably in late March, and that opportunity enjoys greater cachet now that promoter Rodney Berman has secured an agreement with the WBC.
Mauro Sulaiman, the WBC president, has given his commitment to clear the way for the title to be on the line.
Naturally, this will come to nought if Lerena fails to get past Meroro. He needs to get in and do the business, preferably in some style.
“I’ve made no bones about my intention to make Kevin a star,” said Berman, who is plugging into the worldwide revival of interest in the cruiserweight division. “He’s on the cusp of a big breakthrough and Golden Gloves will be pushing him hard.”