Sefer Seferi vs Kevin Lerena Odds and Pick

• Seferi vs Lerena goes Saturday, September 21 at 5pm ET
• Will Lerena solidify yet another consecutive title defense?
• Can Seferi remain unbeaten at cruiserweight and take out one of the division’s phenoms? 

Seferi vs Lerena features two men with 23 wins each who are on a cruiserweight collision course.

This 12-round contest goes at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park in Gauteng, South Africa. This is one of two title fights slated for this card.

The IBO world cruiserweight championship is up for grabs when Kevin Lerena looks to make his fifth title defense. Saturday night is a compelling night for the sweet science and this event further underscores that notion. The odds are heavily against Sefer Seferi but crazy upsets in boxing have happened all throughout history. Peep the fight odds and my sweet science analysis below!

Sefer Seferi vs Kevin Lerena Odds

*Odds taken 09/20/19

Lerena has one loss on his record via decision but eventually avenged the defeat by stopping Johnny Muller in the 10th round of the rematch.

He is recognized anywhere between #11-#4 depending on which ranking system you’re looking at. Seferi will be an interesting opponent for the streaking cruiserweight champion. I still see Lerena securing a convincing victory over 12 rounds though.

Lerena Makes it Five Straight

Seferi’s only losses have come in the heavyweight ranks. He lost to Manuel Charr for the WBA international belt and was stopped by present lineal champion Tyson Fury in the fourth round. Seferi has a 91% KO rate and is unbeaten as a cruiserweight though. He has held the WBF Intercontinental title but is on the hunt for a world title now.

That being said, Seferi hasn’t fought this calendar year and his last two fights were a draw and a loss, respectively. I think the strength of schedules and the respective rates of activity between both men will play a big factor in the result.

Kevin Lerena outclassed former European Champion Dmytro Kucher in March 2018 ⏪

Tomorrow at 5pm the 22-1 Cruiseweight defends his IBO belt for a fourth time ? pic.twitter.com/fi7pDKRlR7

— BoxNation (@boxnationtv) June 7, 2019

Lerena and his management are hoping that an emphatic win here will position Kevin Lerena for a big payday.  Other cruiserweight world champions and divisional contemporaries ranked in the top five are next in the proverbial crosshairs. Lerena is almost in a pressure position against the 40-year-old contender.

If he doesn’t perform in a big way against Seferi, it could dampen expectations that some of his big supporters have for him. Pundits might not see him in quite the same way if he doesn’t put on a clinic and get some highlights happening. 

Seferi vs Lerena Tale of the Tape

This venue is quite familiar to Lerena. He captured his championship in this very venue and notched multiple title defenses there too. Lerena returns looking to carve out another impressive performance at Emperor’s Palace.

In fact, most of his big career moments have come in this venue. Some of the other titles Lerena has won early in his career include the WBF Africa junior-heavyweight, WBC Youth junior-heavyweight, South African junior-heavyweight, WBA Pan African cruiserweight and IBO cruiserweight titles. Most of those bouts occurred in this very Palace.

I see the pride of South Africa getting the partisan crowd fired up this weekend with another title defense. Lerena is a nuanced technician in there. I think he’ll be able to maintain defensive savvy while picking Seferi apart en route to a unanimous decision win. Seferi vs Lerena is a cruiserweight showcase for the reigning champion, on paper.

Pick: Lerena (-10000)