On a night when Anthony Joshua demonstrated exactly what an elite level heavyweight should do, Kevin Lerena came up short in his clash against unheralded Justis Huni in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
Fighting amid a fog of sorrow – his mum Belinda died the day before – Lerena showed glimpses of good form and promise but ultimately didn’t have enough in the tank to overcome the gritty Australian.
Huni wasn’t especially dangerous or threatening, but he was durable and managed to adjust after Lerena’s fast start.
Given the backdrop to the fight, it’s difficult to contextualize the performance. The optics showed Lerena giving away the fight and then failing to put Huni away when he had him hurt in the final round, but there’s no telling how the personal circumstances affected him.
“These past two days have been an emotional rollercoaster,” he said, “but the outpouring of love and support from the boxing world has been truly humbling.”
In the event, Huni justified the backing of the bookies by accumulating a narrow points advantage and then withstanding a fierce last-round barrage to win 96-94, 98-92, 96-94.
“Do it for your mother!” exhorted his corner as the 10th-round loomed, inspiring Lerena to go for broke. One vicious left hook badly hurt Huni, but he had the legs – and the heart – to hang on.
“When I had him hurt, I should have finished him, but kudos to him, he stayed up like a tough lion,” said the South African southpaw, who fell to his third career defeat. “He boxed better tonight, I probably had him hurt more, but he’s a tough competitor.”
Although Lerena has ambitions at heavyweight, the brutal truth is that he’s come up short in his two biggest tests, against Daniel Dubois and now against Huni, a fledgling professional.
He still holds the WBC’s interim bridgerweight belt, and is mandated to fight for the full title, so that may be where he should concentrate his focus in an effort to rebuild.
Promoter Rodney Berman was phlegmatic. “This is a tough sport and you must learn to accommodate defeat. I wasn’t that impressed by Huni, but he did what he had to do. This is a setback . . . in boxing, though, you learn to deal with disappointment.”
