Fight worth waiting for
There's a local match for boxing fans to look forward to with the announcement of the cruiserweight showdown between Johnny Muller and Kevin Lerena as part of the “Top Gun” bill taking place at Emperors Palace on November 15.
Johnny Muller. Picture: Neil McCartney
It’s a fight that has been on the cards for a while and was made following Lerena’s stoppage win at the casino venue last week that saw him claim the WBC youth title.
The contest forms part of a four-fight bill that will see the return of Tommy Oosthuizen against Russian Denis Grachev for the WBC international light-heavyweight title.
The event will also see Ali Funeka take on Roman Belaev of Russia for the IBO welterweight world title, while Thabang Ramagole will face an opponent yet to be named in a junior-flyweight contest set for eight rounds.
“Johnny turned professional as a heavyweight and he looked a bit out of shape. There was always something that he lacked. He’s much more comfortable as a cruiserweight,” said Harold Volbrecht, the man responsible for honing Muller’s skills.
“We’re expecting a tough fight. Kevin’s a southpaw and Johnny has got Tommy Oosthuizen for sparring and they’re helping each other. This gives the public what they want.
“The crowd is going to see a new Johnny Muller in the ring on November 15,” Volbrecht added.
The opposite corner will be manned by Sean Smith and he feels that Lerena is making the necessary improvements in his unbeaten career.
“We’ve been lucky now with Kevin being active. He’s had two good international wins, but then again you don’t need to look overseas for good fights,” Smith said.
“I believe that we haven’t seen the best of Kevin. The nice thing about him being active is we can get him in the gym, ride the wave and he can make the necessary development.
“We don’t overlook anyone. It’s a good fight and it’s going to be a good local scrap. I believe Kevin will be victorious,” he added.
