Former world titleholder Kevin Lerena and Aquila Boxing Promotions are breathing new life into South African boxing with high-stakes bonus incentives at Knockout Chaos 2 in Sandton. Picture: ABP Official Photography
Attending the Knockout Chaos 2 pre-fight press conference earlier this week, I was struck by a clear realisation—and no, it wasn’t a right hook from one of the fighters, or I’d likely be writing this from a hospital bed. It was simply this: boxing in South Africa is in a very good place.
I first covered the sport back in 2010, when a young Flo Simba was tipped as the next big thing following his pro debut the previous year. While he captured the IBO World Youth Heavyweight title in 2011, his career never quite reached world-class heights. After storming through his first 10 fights undefeated, he suffered four losses in his next six bouts, effectively stalling his trajectory by 2012. Simba fought just four more times before officially hanging up his gloves in 2019.
During Simba’s initial rise, another young prospect was quietly cutting his teeth in the ring: Kevin Lerena.
After winning his first 11 fights, Lerena suffered his first setback against Johnny Muller in 2014. From there, however, he embarked on an impressive eight-year undefeated run, going on to capture both the WBC Bridgerweight and IBO Cruiserweight world titles.
