Kevin Lerena On Tyson Fury Training Camps and Why He’d Reject A Fight

As Kevin Lerena prepares to defend his WBC Bridgerweight title against Ryad Merhy on May 30, the South African revealed the decision to fight his opponent on home soil in Belgium was a financial one.

Having turned 34 earlier this month, Lerena may be in the twilight of his career, and agreeing to fights with bigger cash rewards becomes more important.

Merhy is also not an unknown entity to Lerena, as the pair fought back in 2023 at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park. Lerena won comfortably by unanimous decision after 12 gruelling rounds.

The rematch will now see Lerena take on Merhy at Hall des Expositions, Charleroi.

Lerena Defends World Title in Foreign Territory

“I’m very excited. It's a big fight for me. It's a fight that I have to win, and I have to defend my world title in foreign territory,” Lerena told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.

“It's never going to be easy, but we know what we have to do. We’re geared up.”

As Lerena is the defending champion, it may have raised a few eyebrows to see the Southpaw take on the challenger away from home.

“It's all about the money at the end of the day. The more lucrative purse offers, the better the challenge." 

“You know, as a champion, you've got to be able to win on the road. I think that's very important.”

Close Bond with Tyson Fury 

Lerena is no stranger to the limelight, as he nears 40 professional bouts, but his close relationship with former WBC heavyweight champion and boxing legend Tyson Fury.

"Tyson and I have been very good friends since I fought Daniel Dubois in 2022. I was the co-main event to Tyson, and we've been friends ever since.

“So we struck up a relationship there. I helped him with both of the [Oleksandr] Usyk fights as a training partner. So yeah, it's absolutely phenomenal.”

As for whether Lerena would ever fight Fury, he was emphatic in his response: “No. Tyson’s done so much for my career. I'll never fight him.”

Intense Training Regimen Ahead of Merhy Bout

With the bout against Merhy just a matter of weeks away, though, Lerena revealed how hard he is preparing.

“I just train hard. I don't really focus on my weight, to be honest. I do what I have to do in the gym to stay fit, to stay strong, and to stay sharp, and then obviously the weight is the last week of worry. It's not really a worry of mine, to be honest." 

“I run three to four times a week, I box five times a week, and I do weight training about two to three times a week.”

While his time in the ring is still the most important part of his life, Lerena has already started Aquila Boxing Promotions with his wife, Geraldine. It means that Lerena is already building a platform to transition to the business side of boxing.

“It’s super important for me. Winning and starting something great for my promoters is so important, and for my promotion on my brand, you know what I mean?" 

“And I'm just proud to be part of Aquila and proud to be a professional fighter on the world stage. It's just about moving onwards and upwards, and it means a lot to me because this is how I provide for my family, and now I'll provide other fighters with the opportunity to provide.”

Lerena, however, insists his time in the ring is not done yet.

“Maybe another four or five years. Let's see what life has in store for me.”

In fact, Lerena would even be open to a bout in a different fighting code if the price were right, he explained.

“Listen, it's all about money. Pay me a big enough purse, and I'll do anything.”