The boxer who survived helicopter crash and testified at Pistorius trial

Kevin Lerena sank heavily into the couch in his dressing room as the agonizing weight of loss and grief weighed down on him.

Justis Huni, an Australian prospect, and the South African heavyweight had just won a razor-thin match in Saudi Arabia. In the final round, he outlasted Huni, but he was unable to deliver the decisive blow.

Coming so agonizingly close to victory is difficult for most boxers to accept. However, Lerena felt incredibly relieved.

He was informed of the devastating news that his mother had passed away in South Africa a day earlier.

He told BBC Sport, “I was just happy the fight was over and I could go home and rest my mother.”

Lerena claims that he never felt like pulling out because he never thought it would happen, despite the fact that he never even entered the ring.

When she unexpectedly passed, he continued, “I kept quiet and put on my strong armour to represent my country, my family, and myself.”

“But it was difficult. I was affected by it emotionally. I experienced it during the fight because I’m the only human. I experienced fatigue and draining feelings.

In the most extraordinary life full of highs, lows, and true cinematic drama, Lerena will face Briton Lawrence Okolie on July 19 at Wembley Stadium.

Rugby was Lerena’s first love at the time she was born and raised in Johannesburg. But he changed his focus to boxing and discovered a pugilism talent when that dream faded.

He is no stranger to the stage and has 33 professional victories and three losses since turning 32.

British fighters will be fond of Lerena for nearly delivering a seismic shock to Daniel Dubois, the current IBF heavyweight champion, at 2022’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Dubois was clearly stunned after the first knockdown and suffering what appeared to be a knee injury during the first round.

Lerena moved forward, but Dubois dropped him in the third, and the referee was forced to intervene.

Lerena remarked, “The referee stopped me from fighting back.”

“It was what it was,” he said. I’m not interested in going on about it. I am aware that Daniel has had his most difficult and difficult test to date.

Lerena’s strong matches with Dubois and Huni established him as a strong heavyweight contender.

Lerena might choose to lean into the headlines that his life has produced, but he says that is not his “style” and that he would rather cut himself off from his past.

He testified in courtroom testimony in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial in 2014.

Pistorius was accused of shooting a gun at a restaurant a year before shooting and killing Reeva Steenkamp, the Paralympic sprint champion.

“It was a bad time,” he said. He claimed that he does not want to experience negativity in his life and that he has no ties to those people.

“What occurred then for Oscar and the Steenkamp family was terrible, but it’s not my fault and I don’t think you should base your profile on such events,” said one commentator.

Later, Lerena mentions leaving a 2021 helicopter crash with minor injuries, which would define him but which is just another footnote.

“It was an accident during training.” My pilot license is now available. He expressed regret, praising the circumstances that prevented it.

Lerena and Okolie, both of whom were previously cruiserweight champions, square off in the ring. His remarkable story would only grow stronger if he were to win over the Londoner.

However, Lerena’s defeat won’t be due to lack of heart or effort.

“I have that warrior spirit,” I said. I make an effort to find the deepest. He claimed that he had never received a silver spoon in boxing or that he had never received one in life.

Lerena is clear that he wants his fists to speak for themselves, but his life has turned into a Hollywood thriller, from near-death experiences to courtroom drama.

Taylor Lautner, a star of Twilight, is the choice Lerena makes for him in a movie.