Former world champion Kevin Lerena has announced his return to the cruiserweight division as he targets a third world title. Picture: Michael Sherman/IOL
A noticeably leaner, yet typically confident Kevin Lerena announced his decision to return to the cruiserweight division on Tuesday in North Riding.
“I’m going back down to cruiserweight to become a three-time world champion. They told me that I couldn’t make cruiserweight ever again—well, here we are. I'm only 6 kg off the limit. So, I will become a three-time cruiserweight world champion,” said Lerena.
Lerena recently lost his WBC bridgerweight title to Ryad Merhy in Belgium at the end of May, and at 34, he has made the firm decision to move back down to a lighter weight class.
The bout was a rematch between the two fighters after Lerena previously defeated Merhy in Johannesburg back in 2023. This time around, Lerena went the full 12 rounds with the challenger, with the judges scoring the fight 116–112, 117–111, and 115–113 in favor of Merhy.
