The South African born IBO cruiserweight champion is set to face Ivorian-born Belgian Ryad Merhy the current WBA cruiserweight champion in Brussels on the 17th of July. 

Lerena who is twenty-nine holds a record of 26-1 is ranked the number six cruiserweight in the world, while he is ranked the fourth-best fighter in Africa (all weight classes) by

He goes into his unification bout off the back of seven successful title defenses since winning the title in 2017.

The Johannesburg-based southpaw fighter will be aiming to bring back another belt from his trip abroad. 

Ryad Merhy a 29-1 fighter, is on a fight win streak. He has defended his WBA title once back in 2019. Merhy is ranked outside the top 100 cruiser weights by  

But he will enjoy the home advantage when he and his team welcome Lerena in July. 

The IBO cruiserweight champion showed his enthusiasm for the fight on his Twitter account, .