Promoter Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves is not looking to rush Kevin Lerena in the heavyweight ranks.
Last Saturday night, Lerena made a statement when he blasted out heavyweight veteran Bogdan Dinu in four rounds at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg.
While Lerena, who was the longtime IBO champion at cruiserweight, is calling for top rated fighters at heavyweight, Berman wants to move him in the right way.
“We need to plan a strategy. We need to build his career at the right pace and we need to match him with the right opponents before we can start talking of fighting those in the world top-10,” Berman said to IOL.
“It’s nice to dream of the big fights, but realistically we need to walk before we start running. Make no mistake, he was impressive on the night. But the day will come for Kevin to fight stiff opposition and eventually fight for a world title. It’s a process and he has to go through it. He’s got to be patient and continue working hard.”
The heavyweight picture is already solidified for the year - with Tyson Fury defending the WBC title against mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte later this month. And Oleksandr Usyk likely defending the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO titles against Anthony Joshua on a date in June. The winners of both fights will be positioned to collide in the fall.
Berman wants to place the 29-year-old Lerena in the right fights to gain further experience in the weight class.
“It was just so nice to see how he went about his business against an experienced heavyweight. The manner in which he attacked a taller fighter was a joy to watch and his punching power was lethal. He punched better as a heavyweight than when he was a cruiserweight. There was power in the punches and that got him the victory,” Berman added.