Lerena gets to choose the best of both worlds.
It’s decision time for Kevin Lerena.
The champion boxer is in the enviable position of having two appealing – and lucrative – options in the months to come.
In the first instance, the World Boxing Council confirmed this week that free negotiations can begin for the mandatory defence of the WBC bridgerweight title by champion Lucasz Rozanski and interim champion Lerena. If these discussions are fruitless, the WBC will call for purse bids on February 9.
This means Lerena’s ambition of fighting for the famous green belt outright has every chance of being realised.
But another intriguing possibility has arisen. He has been offered a heavyweight bout against Australian dangerman Justis Huni on the Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou fight card in Saudi Arabia on March 8.
The opportunity to appear on a major international fight card has an obvious upside, but this must be balanced against Lerena’s almost perfect fit at bridgerweight and his desire to accumulate titles.
It leaves promoter Rodney Berman in the happy position of deciding which of two appealing opportunities to pursue.
“It’s a question of whether we play the long game or not,” he explained. “There are short-term gains fighting Huni, but the Rozanski fight could lead to all sorts of possibilities in the long run. We’ll weigh these up before making a firm decision.
