Despite the continued absence of a live crowd, Golden Gloves presents another evening of boxing at Emperor’s Palace on the night of 19 December. Supersport viewers will be able to enjoy the action from the safety of their homes.
Headlining the bill will be IBO world cruiserweight champion, Kevin “Two Guns” Lerena, who will stay busy in a non-title fight held at a catchweight of 96 kg over 10 rounds.
He will take on Patrick Ferguson from Spokane, Washington. Ferguson has a 17-2-1 record with 13 knockouts, both those losses coming on the road in Australia and Ghana. He has won his last three bouts and is a former WBC United States cruiserweight champion and US national amateur champion. He had a better 2020 than most, having already fought twice this year, so activity is on his side.
Lerena, on the other hand, had his last fight in Germany in February this year when he stopped former WBA world champion, Firat Arslan, in six rounds.
Working as a paramedic when he is not in the ring or gym, the South African comes from a horse racing family and dreamed of becoming a jockey as a youth before a sustained growth spurt put an end to that. He also played rugby but eventually found boxing, making his pro debut in 2011, knocking out Justice Siliga in two rounds.
An explosive southpaw, he has done remarkably well for someone with no amateur experience, amassing a record of 25-1 with 12 knockouts, avenging his only defeat against Johnny Muller by stopping his rival in ten rounds in a rematch. A former WBF Africa, WBC Youth Silver, WBA Pan African and South African champion, he also won the Super Four tournament in 2016 out boxing undefeated Dane, Micki Nielsen. He became IBO world champion the following year by outpointing Youri Kalenga for the vacant belt and has since made six successful defenses.
Lerena, who is ranked fifth in the world by both The Ring and Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, the two best regarded non-sanctioning body rating systems, still has the dream of becoming the undisputed champion of the division and is hungry for a unification bout.
That will have to wait for 2021 but until then, he cannot afford to slip up on Saturday night.
