IBO cruiserweight champion Kevin Lerena of South Africa will be taking on WBA regular title holder Ryad Merhy, at the 91 year-old Roi Baudouin Stadium in Bruxelles, Belgium on July 17th. Should Lerena win, he will become only the second South African WBA cruiserweight champion after Piet Crous, who won the title back in 1984 when he outboxed Ossie Ocasio. It is easier said than done, though. The athletic Merhy, who was born on the Ivory Coast, will be in familiar territory. He had almost all his fights in Belgium, where he is wildly popular. With 24 knockouts included in his 29-1 record, Merhy can certainly crack. Like Lerena, he has quick hands for a big man. Add to that a busy jab, as well as a sneaky left hook and he is clearly the biggest threat Lerena has faced in years.
Merhy's only defeat occurred at the hands of undefeated current WBA super champion, Arsen Goulamirian, who stopped him on his feet in eleven rounds back in 2018. He has since won five fights, capturing the WBA interim world title (later upgraded to regular status) in his last fight in October of 2019 when he knocked out undefeated Imre Szello in seven rounds.
Lerena (26-1, 13 KOs) will give up home field advantage, but will have activity on his side. He saw action twice in 2020, scoring two stoppages over ancient former WBA champion, Firat Arslan, in Germany and Patrick Ferguson at home. His awkward southpaw style, as well as the fact that it will not be his first fight abroad (besides Germany, he has also fought in Denmark and Azerbaijan) should serve him well.
There is a lot at stake. A win will give Lerena’s career a big boost, whereas a loss would certainly be an unwelcome setback at this stage. It has always been Lerena’s ambition to become an undisputed champion, and there are some mouth-watering potential matchups in the division with the likes of IBF champion Mairis Briedis, WBA super champion Arsen Goulamirian, WBC champion Ilunga Makabu or WBO beltholder, Lawrence Okolie. For any of those fights to become a reality, Lerena must get past Merhy first.
Promoter, Rodney Berman, has big plans. “For Lerena to be fighting for the WBA title at this time is fortuitous for South African boxing. As a cruiserweight world champion, you have the potential to
get big international television coverage. That would give us the opportunity, if Kevin wins, to have them on board. My objective would then be to give him a big December homecoming fight.”
Will Merhy be able to take what Lerena dishes out? Will Lerena be able to keep a busy Merhy from stealing rounds? What will happen if the Belgian cracks him with one of those left hooks? How will the inactivity effect Merhy? All those questions will soon be answered.
Local fans will not be left in the dark either. Supersport will broadcast the Lerena-Merhy clash live from Belgium.
