Not only will fans be able to see how Kevin Lerena stacks up as a heavyweight against Bogdan Dinu on the 26th of March at Emperor’s Palace, but there will also be several other fights of interest.
Young 6-0 heavyweight sensation, Juan “Rhino” Roux will be defending his newly won South African heavyweight title over 12 rounds against Josh “Red Beast” Pretorius.
With a record of 8-5, Pretorius will be Roux’s most experienced opponent to date. It will be his second shot at the national title, having dropped a decision to Tian Fick for the vacant strap in 2020. He has fought a who’s who of the local scene and carries good momentum into the fight, having handed Wilhelm Nebe his first loss in his last appearance on a Golden Gloves card.
Roux, for his part, is a hustle-and-bustle pressure fighter with deceptive hand speed and incredible stamina for a big man. His title winning effort against Tian Fick was one of the best heavyweight fights in recent memory and with Pretorius always coming to fight, this encounter may well be another scorcher!
Then there is the undefeated South African junior middleweight champion, Shervantaigh Koopman, who will be defending his title against Cape Town’s Jami Webb in another 12-rounder.
Koopman fought four times last year, running his record to 9-0 with six stoppages. He won the national title by knocking out Simon Dladla in seven rounds and was recently extended the ten-round distance by Henriques Lando.
Known simply as “SK” to his fans, Koopman has an understated personality outside the ring and prefers to let his fists do the talking. He has shown consistent improvement in very fight.
Jami Webb, who sports a modest 6-1 record with three stoppages, was thrown into the deep end in his last fight when he fought the very dangerous Cristiano Ndombassy for the WBF international title. Webb surprised friend and foe by hanging in there and boxing well in spots, dropping a split decision to the Angolan fighter.
Will Koopman be able to stop Webb or is an upset on the cards?
The evening also sees the return of Keaton Gomes. After being outpointed in his last two fights at cruiserweight by Lebo Mashitoa, he is looking for a fresh start at heavyweight. He will be fighting the winner of the fight between Shaun Potgieter and Jean Pierre Steenkamp that takes place this weekend.
Then there is middleweight prospect Phikelelani “Sniper” Khumalo, who is also set to make an appearance on the card. Several prospective opponents have pulled out, but matchmaker, Jeff Ellis is searching hard for a suitable adversary.
