Kevin Lerena-Serhiy Radchenko bridgerweight title fight lands on May 1 in South Africa

Kevin Lerena’s first defense of his WBC bridgerweight title has both a new date and a new location.

Lerena, 30-3 (14 KOs), was initially expected to face Serhiy Radchenko, in February in Ukraine, where Radchenko is from. However, the bout has been rescheduled for May 1 in South Africa, according to the WBC. The 32-year-old Lerena lives in South Africa.

Bridgerweight is a division first created by the WBC and then adopted by the WBA, though not yet by the IBF or WBO. It sits between cruiserweight and heavyweight, with a maximum weight limit of 224lbs.

Lerena won the interim WBC title in November 2023 with a unanimous decision over Senad Gashi. He was upgraded to the full titleholder in October 2024, when Lawrence Okolie vacated the belt and moved up to heavyweight.

Lerena has called out a pair of big names (Deontay Wilder, Jake Paul) to try to land big money fights, highlighting why so many cruiserweights have departed for heavyweight over the years – and what might now be keeping many boxers from trying bridgerweight on for size.

Lerena himself is a former cruiserweight contender who went up to heavyweight in 2022, knocking out Bogdan Dinu, outpointing Mariusz Wach, and losing a competitive three-rounder battle with Daniel Dubois. 

Radchenko, 11-7 (5 KOs), is a 37-year-old who is ranked fifth in the division by the WBC. He went 1-7 from 2018 through 2020, losing to a number of recognizable names (Krzysztof Glowacki, Michal Cieslak, Artur Szpilka) and a handful of prospects, with his only victory in that stretch coming against a foe with a record of 3-10.

Since 2021, Radchenko has won four straight, mostly against nondescript opposition. His last appearance was in August in Kiev, where he outpointed the 15-2-1 Andrej Pesic.

The WBC is still seeking to make an interim bridgerweight title fight between Krzysztof Włodarczyk and Adam Balski. No date has been announced.