Kevin coins it with his WBC bridgerweight title defence in Belgium

The common proverb, “Money makes the world go round”, means that money is the most essential, driving force behind society’s activities.

The phrase implies that financial considerations frequently take precedence over other values including history, which involves analysing evidence to understand changes over time, chronological events, or a person/thing’s background.

It helps explain how past actions influence the present and future, but history alone cannot take anyone forward.

That has been been confirmed by the option taken by wealthy professional boxer, Kevin Lerena.

He gave away home advantage and accepted a tantalising financial offer to defend his WBC bridgerweight boxing title in Belgium, which is home to mandatory challenger, Ryad Merhy.

Lerena’s second defence against the Ivorian-born Belgian-French fighter will take place on May 30.

They will meet for the second time. Lerena defeated Merhy on points after 12 rounds at Emperors Palace Casino near the OR Tambo International Airport on May 13, 2023.

In that fight staged by the most accomplished African promoter, Rodney Berman, Lerena won the vacant WBC Silver title.

At that time, the left-handed former race jockey, whose fighting skills are honed by Peter Smith, was the highest paid fighter here.

He raked in at least a million per fight, and only Berman could afford to pay him that amount because Lerena’s sponsors bought almost all tables of 10 that were sold in those events.

Before defeating Merhy, Lerena had earned about R10m after his third-round defeat by Daniel Dubois for the WBA heavyweight bet.

That fight took place in front of 90,000 English fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England on December 3, 2022.

On March 8, 2024, Lerena was part of a major pay-per-view event in Saudi Arabia, and his purse money for the fight he lost to Justis Huni was not disclosed due to a confidentiality clause.

In that event, Tyson Fury earned an estimated $50-million (R837.75m) for defeating mixed martial arts fighter Francis Ngannou on points over 10 rounds.

Ngannou, the French-based Cameroonian, secured a disclosed purse of $10-million (R167.62m).

Lerena would not confirm or deny earning R4-million.

Then on July 19, 2025, Lerena is said to have pocketed $500,000 (R8.4m) for the WBC Silver heavyweight title fight he lost on points to Lawrence Okolie at Wembley Stadium in London.

The married father of four lives a luxurious life, having generated his wealth from the fistic sport he joined in 2011.

In 2016, Lerena purchased a share in a yearling (horse) named “Royal Silvano”, which was later renamed “The KO Kid”, which was his ring name before he changed it to “Two Guns”.

At 33, Lerena, who has slotted perfectly into a world where social media and branding have become ubiquitous, loves the finer things in life.

That is illustrated by his sense of clothes, the cars he drives and the home where he stays with his wife and their four children.

Raised by a single mom, Lerena is an inspiration to other young people who were not born with a silver spoon.

He said his mother fought tirelessly to raise them. She passed away in March 2024, just hours before his fight, which he lost to Huni.

Sowetan asked him if he was given an offer he could not refuse to go to Belgium.

“Who is going to put that show here?” asked Lerena, whose first successful defence — he won by a third-round stoppage of Serhiy Radchenko — was staged by Dewald Mostert of Legacy Boxing Promotion at Sunbet Arena in Pretoria on May 1 last year.

Mostert has not done anything since that tournament.

Lerena and Berman ended their working relationship in 2024.

“We’d love to do it, but listen, Geraldine (Lerena’s wife who is a boxing promoter), the team, Kayuri, Sinead, Ryan, Tanya, listen, to put on a big event like that takes a lot. I’m not there yet,” he explained.

I don’t really want to go to Belgium, but I’m a fighting man, so I will, and then it’s my duty to execute there, right

—  Kevin Lerena

“I don’t really want to go to Belgium, but I’m a fighting man, so I will, and then it’s my duty to execute there, right.

“I’d love to have had that defence here, and, God willing, we have the opportunity to defend one more time here this year.

“Last year, we were fortunate. Legacy Boxing, Sean Smith and Dewald, were able to put on a massive show, history again, you know.”

That event attracted more than 5,000 fans at Sun Bet Arena in Pretoria.

“The last time there were more than 5,000 people in the arena, with 5,100, and that was Lennox Lewis versus Hasim Rahman (at Carnival City in Brakpan on April 22),” said Lerena.

“No South Africans have done an arena of 8,000, so that’s history again. We’re doing small things, and we’re doing small things to make boxing great.

“God willing, we’ll get the chance to defend at home one day. Whether they are going to be fair or not, who knows. But the WBC needs to be fair.”

He requested a neutral judge, one Belgian and a South African.

“That antics don’t bother me,” said Lerena.

“If I go out there and box Merhy’s ears off for 12 rounds and get robbed, many fighters have been robbed in boxing.

“Yes, it takes away my title, which is heartbreaking, but it won’t take away who Lerena is.”

He’s not even thinking about that.

“To be honest, I need to win well, and Ryad Merhy right now is more important than Dubois,“ he said.

“More important than Huni, more important than every well-touted defence that I’ve had, because I cannot afford a banana peel.

“I need to win and win well, so each fight is important, it’s a step in the direction of where I want to go, and let me tell you how it works in boxing.”

Lerena, who is always in the gym with or without a fight, added: “You know, whether I’m flippin’ running, pushing a set or hitting a bag, you’ll never need to ask me to get fit.

“I’m a professional. I fought Huni, arguably a fight that I won; my mom passed the day before, but no excuses.

“I’ll never make an excuse, so we’re there, so it’s just about winning, you know. A big win over Merhy, who knows what’s next?”

He said when all is said and done, he cannot buy a car with a boxing belt.

“I cannot be happy at home with a belt; I can only be happy with myself, my beautiful family, my wife and my kids,” he said.

“But when it’s all said and done, it’s what I’ve achieved in the sport that’s given me a better chance for myself, and a chance to change others’ lives, and that’s what I’m doing, and I’m not done.”

Lerena will be involved in his 37th professional fight.

Sowetan