After making South African boxing history, fighting in front of 90,000 people at Wembley and creating a new platform for local fighters, Kevin Lerena has been nominated for Sportsman of the Year at the 19th annual SA Sport Awards.
There are years in an athlete's career that are measured in wins and losses. Then there are years that fundamentally change what that athlete represents.
For South African boxer Kevin Lerena, 2025 was
the latter.
The former IBO cruiserweight world champion
and WBC bridgerweight world champion has been named a nominee for Sportsman
of the Year at the 19th annual South African Sport Awards, recognition that
comes after a year in which Lerena made history inside the ring while beginning
to build something beyond his own fighting career.
"To be recognised amongst South Africa's
finest sportsmen is an honour in itself," says Lerena.
But the nomination represents more than
another accolade for the Johannesburg fighter.
In 2025, Lerena became the first South
African boxer to successfully defend a WBC world title, doing so in front
of 7,600 supporters on home soil.
Then he did something that has defined much of
his career: he took a risk.
Lerena stepped up to heavyweight and travelled
to London to challenge for the WBC Heavyweight Silver Title at Wembley Stadium,
competing in front of approximately 90,000 spectators on one of boxing's
biggest stages.
He ultimately fell short on points, but for
Lerena, the willingness to step outside of what was comfortable mattered.
"I dared to challenge myself on one of
the biggest stages in world boxing," he says. "I've always believed
that if you want to find out how far you can go, you have to be prepared to
take those opportunities."
Yet arguably the most significant part of Lerena's 2025 happened away from his own fights.
During the year, Lerena launched Aquila
Boxing Promotions, moving from fighter to promoter with a clear ambition:
to help create more opportunities for South African boxing and the fighters
coming through behind him.
In its first year, ABP promoted four boxing
events.
All four sold out.
All four were broadcast live on SuperSport.
For Lerena, however, the numbers only tell
part of the story.
"Boxing has given me so much," he
says. "I wanted to create something that could give back to the sport and,
importantly, provide another platform for South African fighters."
It is a transition few active athletes
attempt.
While continuing to train, fight and pursue
his own ambitions at the highest level, Lerena has begun using the profile and
experience built over his career to create opportunities for other fighters.
"Through ABP we've been able to give
athletes opportunities they may not otherwise have had," he says.
"For me, that is probably the greatest achievement of all."
That makes his Sportsman of the Year
nomination particularly significant.
Elite sport is inevitably measured in titles,
rankings, records and results. But an athlete's influence can extend much
further than the result recorded at the end of a fight.
For Lerena, 2025 brought both.
He successfully defended a world championship
on South African soil.
He stepped into the heavyweight division and
tested himself at Wembley.
He launched a boxing promotion.
He helped stage four sold-out events.
And, while still an active fighter himself, he
began creating opportunities for the next generation of South African boxing
talent.
Now, those achievements have earned
recognition alongside some of the country's leading sporting performers.
Lerena is quick to point out that none of it
has been achieved alone.
"My team has been with me through
everything. My lifelong trainer Peter Smith, my boxing management team, my PR
team, our sponsors and partners, Boxing South Africa, my business partners at
Aquila Boxing Promotions and everyone who shares this vision with us."
There is another team whose contribution is
harder to quantify.
"My wife and children make sacrifices
alongside me every single day," he says. "People see the fight nights
and the big moments, but there is a huge amount that happens behind the scenes
to make those moments possible."
And then there is what Lerena calls the Lerena
Army, the supporters who have followed his career through different weight
divisions, championships, victories and setbacks.
"To everyone who has supported me
throughout this journey, I am forever grateful."
The nomination arrives at an interesting point
in Lerena's career.
He remains an active fighter with ambitions of
his own, but increasingly his impact on South African boxing is no longer
confined to what happens when he steps between the ropes.
The fighter is becoming in a sense, a
promoter.
The champion is becoming a platform-builder.
And the athlete who spent years pursuing
opportunities is now helping create them for somebody else.
Whatever happens when the South African Sport
Awards are presented on 23 August, Lerena believes 2025 will remain one of the
defining years of his career.
"Of course, I am proud of the titles and
the fights. I'm proud that I was willing to challenge myself. But being able to
start giving something back to South African boxing means just as much to me.
"This sport changed my life. If I can
help it change somebody else's life too, then we've achieved something
worthwhile."