Why Kevin Lerena would never fight Tyson Fury
Kevin Lerena, the WBC Bridgerweight champion, refuses to fight Tyson Fury due to their strong friendship and mutual support, despite his ability to compete in both bridgerweight and heavyweight divisions. Picture: ABP Official Photography
Image: ABP Official Photography
Kevin Lerena may be a world-class boxer in his own right, but there is one man who he would never fight— former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
The reason, though, is not mysterious as the pair are good friends, and it’s understandable that the SA boxing star wouldn’t want to fight someone with whom he shares a personal relationship.
Having turned 34 earlier this month, Lerena is nearing 40 professional bouts and is the current WBC Bridgerweight champion.
With his ‘walking around’ weight normally around 101 kgs - the border weight between the two disivisions, Lerena can go down to bridgerweight and heavyweight without too much trouble.
Lerena’s Friendship with Tyson Fury and His Upcoming Title Defence Against Ryad Merhy
The problem is that there is no upper weight limit in heavyweight boxing, which means Lerena would always be one of the smallest fighters in the division.
Weight aside, Lerena explains just why he would never consider a bout against Fury.
"Tyson and I have been very good friends since I fought Daniel Dubois in 2022. I was the co-main event to Tyson, and we've been friends ever since,” Lerena told SportsBoom.co.za.
“So we struck up a relationship there. I helped him with both of the [Oleksandr] Usyk fights as a training partner. So yeah, it's absolutely phenomenal.”
As for whether Lerena would ever fight Fury, he was emphatic in his response: “No. Tyson’s done so much for my career. I'll never fight him.”
Lerena is currently preparing to defend his WBC Bridgerweight title against Ryad Merhy on May 30, in Belgium.
It’s an opponent he’s faced and beaten before, as Lerena is also coming off a loss in his previous fight.
The defeat was against Lawrence Okolie in London in September, but it was in the heavier division in the WBC Silver Heavyweight.