The atmosphere was electric as the defending world champion and bridgerweight boxer, Kevin Lerena took to the ring last Thursday night to battle Ukrain’s Serhiy Radchenko. Lerena reclaimed his championship WBC title with a knockout victory, making South African history at the same time.
Titled The Reckoning, the fight comprised seven main card fights with Lerena VS Radchenko as the main event, set to 12 rounds. It was the first time a WBC title was defended by a champion on home soil. Hence, the Sunbet Arena at Time Square, Pretoria was packed and the exuberant crowd cheered for Lerena, who hails from Johannesburg.
Lerena controlled the first round, bringing Radchenko’s high guard down swiftly. Thereafter, he fiercely dominated the second round too. With a series of power punches and a huge left hook, Lerena pushed Radchenko into the ropes and then dropped him hard seconds later. Radchenko got back up on his feet, but – swift and mercilessly – Lerena dropped him onto his back once more. Radchenko came back to survive the round, but it was with power, precision and pure knockout energy that Lerena secured his title win in round three. Once again, he proved that he was an SA champion through and through.
Kevin ‘Two Guns’ Lerena is the third local fighter in history to hold the sought-after WBC belt. He follows in the footsteps of Thulani ‘Sugar Boy’ Malinga and the late Dingaan ‘The Rose of Soweto’ Thobela.
Event organiser, Legacy Boxing, brought the world stage to SA with this first-ever WBC championship fight in SA. It was a classy night of pure action and entertainment. The undercard non-title fights laid the perfect foundation for the full fight night spectacle. Local amateurs like Leo Carreri, Gary Van Staden and Chris Thompson also secured exciting wins. In addition, SA IBO welterweight champion, Tulani Mbenge went toe-to-toe with Namibia’s Emmanuel Mungandjela in the co-main event, also securing his win.
These amazing local wins, the star-studded line-ups and high energy entertainment quelled SA boxing’s quiet spell in recent years. In fact, The Reckoning has now put South Africa firmly back on the boxing map, with more international fights to be scheduled soon.
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