In an eventful night at Emperors Palace near Kempton Park, Kevin Lerena claimed the WBC interim bridgerweight title with a unanimous decision over Senad Gashi. The match was marked by Lerena's escalating dominance and Gashi's focus on fouling, leading to a point deduction for Gashi in the final round. The judges scored decisively in Lerena's favor, enhancing his record to 30-2. The undercard saw impressive performances as well, with Shervantaigh Koopman dominating Cristiano Ndombassi in a junior middleweight bout, and other matches featuring draws and victories, culminating in Kaine Fourie's TKO win over Lusanda Komanisi in the lightweight category.
Fight Results
Fight Details
Senad “GachineGun” Gashi (27-3, 26 KOs) is set to compete for the world championship in the newly established bridgerweight division by the World Boxing Council against South African boxer Kevin Lerena (29-2, 14 KOs) in Johannesburg.
Lerena, a former IBO cruiserweight world champion, later transitioned to heavyweight where he had a mixed run. After four fights in the heavyweight division, he faced a defeat against Britain's Daniel Dubois for the WBA world championship. However, Lerena made a comeback with a victory over Ryad Merhy. Despite being named the #1 by the WBC and the mandatory challenger for reigning world champion Lukasz Rozanski, Lerena seems to have other plans in mind. He’s reportedly keen on battling Badou Jack, the recent winner of the WBC world cruiserweight title.
In a strategic move, Lerena accepted a step-aside fee, allowing him to temporarily bypass the competitive fight against Rozanski. This decision paves the way for an interim world title bout between Lerena and Gashi. As for Rozanski, he’s slated to face Jack by the end of this year. This series of events offers Gashi not only a golden opportunity to clinch a major title but also to test his skills against a seasoned opponent.
Fight card:
▪️Kevin Lerena vs. Senad Gashi, 12 rounds, for vacant WBC interim bridgerweight ▪️Kaine Fourie vs. Lusanda Komanisi, 8 rounds, lightweight ▪️Shervantaigh Koopman vs. Cristiano Ndombassy, 8 rounds, junior middleweight ▪️Darrin Rossouw vs. Jami Webb, 6 rounds, junior middleweight ▪️Michael Head vs. Bonginkosi Nhlapo, 4 rounds, light heavyweight ▪️Carl Van Blerk vs. Justin Mostert, 4 rounds, featherweight
