South African boxer Kevin Lererena plans to return to the cruiserweight division to begin his campaign to win a third world championship title, starting with an important bout in November.
Lererena told the publication IOL in an exclusive interview that he hopes to compete on November 7th in a fight he called a 'stay-busy fight,' which he expects to be a victory. He noted that as the fifth-ranked fighter by the WBC, the next step within the organization is to fight for the world title, but for this, he needs to secure a win.
This move followed a disappointing loss at the end of May when he lost his WBC bantamweight title to Belgian opponent Riyadh Merhi. In a grueling rematch held in Johannesburg in 2023, the judges awarded Merhi the victory with scores of 116–112, 117–111, and 115–113. This defeat prompted Lererena to make a firm decision to return to the cruiserweight category, whose maximum weight is 90.7 kg.
Currently, Lererena is actively training in the gym, focusing on weight reduction to meet the division's limit.
Lererena explained that moving to cruiserweight is a return to a division where he spent significant time. He recalled owning the world title in this category for a period and considers it a major goal to return and reach the required weight. His current weight is 96.9 kg, which is effectively 97 kg, so the weight loss process is in full swing. He feels mentally sound and physically ready, despite his experience in heavyweight and bantamweight, because he wants to become a cruiserweight world champion again, as this division was very favorable to him.
Reducing his weight to 90.7 kg is a challenging task, but Lererena approaches it philosophically. He emphasized that it only requires discipline, noting that everything is interconnected, and it comes down to adjusting the training process, changing the environment, and making necessary changes.
Despite being over thirty, Lererena remains confident that his best boxing years are yet to come. He stated that while he does not intend to box forever, he sincerely believes he still has strong three or four peak years ahead. He added that they will consider future plans after this period, but for now, he is full of enthusiasm and strives to become a three-time world champion.
