Ivory Coast-born Belgian boxer Ryad Merhy dethroned World Boxing Council (WBC) bridgerweight champion Kevin Lerena following a unanimous decision victory at Charleroi in Belgium early on Sunday morning, South African time.
All three judges – Belgian Brahim Ait Aadi (116-112), Jon Llona from Spain (117-111) and South African Thabo Spampool (115-113) – gave Merhy, a former World Boxing Association (WBA) cruiserweight titlist, the fight after 12 rounds.
Coming to the fight at 100,2 kilograms, Lerena was sluggish while Merhy, who had tipped the scales at 100,7kg, worked a little bit harder to get the nod from the judges.
And this was sweet revenge for the Brussels-based Merhy after he lost to Lerena at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, in May 2023.
This was the 34-year-old Lerena’s second loss in his last two fights. He lost to Briton Lawrence Okollie at Wembley in July last year.
Meanwhile, the bridgerweight was named after American Bridger Walker, a six-year-old, who saved his four-year-old sister from a stray dog in July 2020.
