Exclusive: Kevin Lerena Announces Break from Boxing After Disappointing Okolie Defeat

Kevin Lerena has seldom tasted defeat in his boxing career, but in July ‘Two Guns’ was left bitterly disappointed after his loss to Lawrence Okolie for the WBC Silver Heavyweight title at a packed Wembley Stadium in London.

At 33, the loss may limit Lerena’s future and immediate prospects.

With 35 pro fights to his name, Lerena has come away victorious in 31 of those bouts.

The worrying stat for Lerena though, is that three of his four losses have come in his last six fights.

Lerena Reflects on Performance and Embraces Future Opportunities

“It didn’t go my way, it wasn’t my best performance but it is what it is. At the end of the day I don’t mope about my losses, I move forward and at the end of the day I went out there representing my country,” Lerena told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.

“The opportunity will come around full 360 again and when it presents itself we’ll have another go. You can’t win them all, and sometimes you look good, sometimes you don’t look so good, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”

Lerena’s Strategic Approach

Lerena’s previous fight was against Ukrainian Serhiy Radchenko in May in a WBC Bridgerweight bout. It was a clear mismatch as Lerena floored his opponent more than once in a fight which lasted just seconds into the third round before Radchenko’s camp threw in the towel.

It’s not been revealed what Lerena would have earned in that headline fight at ‘The Reckoning’ at home in Pretoria, but it would likely have not been close to the amount he received for the Okolie fight or his high-profile loss to Daniel Dubois at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in 2022.

Without admitting how much the loss will have hindered his career path in what should already be the twilight of his career, Lerena acknowledged how he will have to be careful about who he fights next, and when.

“That’s so important, you’ve got to be smart when the fights are coming up, to take the right fight, but I’m at the point in my career now, it’s about making the most monetary and official gains as well as the best fight on the biggest stages," Lerena told SportsBoom.co.za. 

“That’s the direction we’re heading in.”

Lerena Takes a Break

Having fought twice already this year, having featured in just one bout in 2024, Lerena is looking forward to some time off.

“No, I’ll be taking a bit of a break now, I don’t know when I’ll fight again, maybe the end of the year, maybe next year."

“I’ve had two fights back-to-back, I need a bit of a break. My body is sore. Emotionally and mentally, I need a break. And it’s just about spending time with my family right now, giving my kids and my wife all the attention, and then obviously providing a platform like this.”

Lerena has also made it no secret during his career that he is a family man, with his wife Geraldine now helping the couple run up-and-coming Aquila Boxing Promotions in South Africa. It’s clear that the southpaw is planning for the future.

When asked what his family meant to him, Lerena was emphatic in his short response.

“It’s everything to me, everything else is benign, not important, everything else is benign.”