By Kevin Rademeyer, Sports Journalist.
Photo Credit: Aquilla Boxing Promotions.
After five months of sacrifice and a demanding physical transformation, Kevin Lerena steps back into the cruiserweight division on Saturday determined to reclaim a world title. Scott Forrest, however, has been chosen for a reason: the South African wants a fight that will test him.
Lerena has spent the past five months rebuilding himself for a return to the division where he first became a world champion.
On Saturday night, at a sold- out Sandton Convention Centre, the former WBC Bridgerweight champion will find out whether the work has brought him closer to another world title.
Lerena faces Scotland’s Scott Forrest over 10 rounds for the vacant WBC International Cruiserweight title, headlining Aquilla Boxing Promotions’ Knockout Chaos 3: The Return.
It will be his first fight in the division since 2020, following campaigns at Beavyweight and Bridgerweight. The move back has demanded more than a change of weight class.
“I’m feeling good. This is my return to cruiserweight. I haven’t fought at cruiserweight since 2020, so it’s been six years,” Lerena said. “The weight cut has been challenging, but it’s taken a lot of sacrifice and discipline, and that’s what it’s about.”
The numbers tell part of the story. Lerena began the process at 107kg and was down to 92kg at the preliminary WBC checks earlier in the week, with the final two kilograms still to come before the division’s 90.7kg limit.
UK based nutritionist Greg Merriazena has overseen the programme, but Lerena describes the exercise as a personal reset as much as a physical one.
In June, days after his previous fight, he stepped away from boxing to consider what came next. He was at a crossroads, he said, carrying extra weight and uncertain about his direction. He wasn’t depressed, but he wasn’t fulfilled either. Then came the decision to make one more serious attempt at the top.
“This transformation was never just about losing weight,” Lerena said. “It was about finding myself again, finding that hunger I lost, that fire, and that belief that I have what it takes to become world champion one more time. The fight hasn’t happened, but this for me is a victory in itself.”
At 34, Lerena is not treating Saturday as a sentimental return. His ambitions remain firmly attached to the world title picture.
“I’m 100% ready. I’m dialled in and focused. I want to become world champion one more time,” he said. “I’ve defended the cruiserweight title seven times, so if I can win it again and defend it a couple more times, then why not?”
Forrest is not an opponent selected to provide a gentle introduction. Lerena was offered three names and rejected the easier options.
His trainer questioned the choice. Lerena’s answer was straightforward: Forrest was the best of the three and the man most likely to bring out his best. “He’s strong, he’s explosive. And I want the physical, hard fight.”
Forrest’s professional record stands at 10 fights, but Lerena is wary of judging him by those figures. Born in Johannesburg before moving to Scotland, Forrest has a substantial amateur background, including a Youth World Championship title, a Youth Olympic Games bronze medal and Commonwealth Games experience.
“He had a very good amateur pedigree,” Lerena said. “His professional record doesn’t correlate to his amateur record, but he still needs to be respected.”
The South African has little interest in becoming distracted by the numbers. “Records can be manipulated. I focus on the man in front of me, and I’ve got a fight, so that’s what we’re going to focus on and do.”
Forrest has made it clear that he expects an aggressive contest. “We’re both fighters, we both love to punch, and neither of us takes a step backwards. We’re going to be in there slugging it out,” he said.
Lerena expects much the same. “It’s a war of attrition – who’s best prepared.” He is also looking forward to a rather different challenge once the contest is over. “Afterwards, we’re going to have a beer together. And I’m going to have a cheesecake, because I haven’t had one in seven months.”
There is a personal dimension to the occasion, too. Lerena is fighting on a card promoted by Aquilla Boxing Promotions, for which he serves as an ambassador, and sees the event as an opportunity to put South African boxing in the spotlight.
The bill also features the long -awaited meeting between SD Pypers and Jarred Silverman, alongside Leo Careri against Jackson Masamba and Jason Medi against Douglas Ntounta.
For Lerena, the work of creating opportunities for other fighters matters. He has spoken of the need to give boxers a platform and a chance to develop their careers. His own journey, from a relatively modest amateur background to world champion, gives that ambition some context.
But on Saturday, the attention will be on the ring. Lerena has done the work to get back to cruiserweight and has chosen an opponent he believes will demand the best of him. He wants another run at a world title. First, he must get past Forrest.
To the supporters who have followed him through the different weight divisions and the difficult stretches in between, his message is simple: “Lerena army, I appreciate them. I appreciate each and every one of you. I can tell you now, I’m going to give you the best version of Kevin Lerena.”
He expects the same from Forrest. “It’s going to be an all out war,” he said. “I’m done talking this week. It’s going to be an all out war, and I’m ready for war.”