Kevin Lerena explains decision to defend WBC belt in Belgium

The fight is more than a title defence but a rematch steeped in personal history, with the two having last met in May 2023 when the South African came out on top by unanimous decision on home soil. 

"We had to defend the belt because he's the mandatory [opponent], I don't really want to go to Belgium but I'm a fighting man so I will," said Lerena.

"And then it's my duty to execute there – but I would have loved to have held that defence here [in SA] and God willing we have the opportunity to defend one more time here this year."

READ: BSA to review Super Middleweight Championship Bout

The third South African WBC champion indicated that all avenues were explored to stage the fight on a big stage outside Belgium, but a few issues forced their hand, while also requesting neutrality in selecting the judges.

"These promoters clearly have more money than us and, to be fair, it was presented to the Ring Magazine by Spencer Brown to put that fight on in the UK, but they're not interested in having two international opponents on the UK card," he explained.

"It needs to be a South African vs a UK citizen, and we offered the fight to Willem Smith, he bottled it and didn't want it. We offered it to Jack Massey, Ring Magazine came back Turki Alalshikh said, 'Not suitable, we don't want Lerena vs Massey.'

"So we did try to make it on a very big stage not in Belgium, we tried our utmost... Whether it will be fair or not, who knows, the WBC needs to be fair, I've requested one neutral judge, one Belgian judge and a South African judge, so let's see.

"But listen, those antics don't bother me, if I go out there, smash him to pieces and knock him out, that's cool; if I go out there and box his ears off for 12 rounds and I get robbed, many fighters have been robbed in boxing."