Kevin Lerena’s march to stardom will continue March 3 when he fights a WBC top-tenner at Emperors Palace.
The bout has been given fresh urgency with confirmation that the Sauerlands, the driving force of the Super Series international tournaments, will be ringside to run their eye over the IBO cruiserweight champion when he makes his first title defence.
The World Boxing Super Series has been hailed as the Champions League of boxing with fighters vying for the illustrious Ali Trophy.
Said Kalle Sauerland: “We will be in close contact with our long-term friend and partner Rodney Berman and look forward to being ringside for what promises to be a fantastic contest with so much at stake.
“Lerena is a big name now in world boxing and if he can win on March 3 he puts himself into the mix for great things, including the Ali Trophy. The Ali Trophy has big plans to come to Africa and we have a close eye on the Emperors tournament given its outstanding record of staging major fights on the continent.”
It’s a massive boost for Lerena given that Kalle is the brains behind the World Boxing Super Series and an ally of SA boxing.
His visit will firstly be to observe the Emperors Palace venue first-hand as a potential site and one of the facilities for the Super Series in 2018. This is a recognition of the outstanding tournaments staged by Emperors Palace over the years, comparable with anything in the world.
Secondly, it is a recognition of Lerena’s ever-growing popularity – a win on March 3 placing him firmly in the mix as one of the reserves for the Cruiserweight World Boxing Series, but more importantly establishing him as a “player” in the cruiserweight division in Europe.
With the cruiserweight spotlight now firmly on Europe, the medium-term plan is to ship Lerena there to mix it with the big names doing the business in the Super Series.
Also likely down the line is an outing in Azarbaijan against a Russian opponent, a negotiation that began at the recent WBC convention.
Berman intends announcing Lerena’s opponent in the coming fortnight.
