After Mother’s Passing, Emotional Kevin Lerena Fights His Heart out En-Route to Heartbreaking Loss Against Justis Huni

Kevin Lerena had a tough night at the office in the Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua ‘Knockout Chaos’ event. Not only did the South African lose the fight against Justis Huni, but he also failed to contain his emotions during the fight, as he was still struggling with the loss of his mother, who had passed away only a couple of days ago. It all went down in the desert city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Notably, Huni, 24, hails from Australia and improved his record to 9-0, as he defeated Lerena on points, as two judges’ scores read 96-94 in his favor and one 98-92. Meanwhile, the bereaved Lerena had been riding on a two-fight win streak and was bouncing back from a loss to Daniel Dubois back in December 2022.

What happened in the fight between Kevin Lerena and Justis Huni?

Lerena held his end in the initial rounds, fought at a high pace and with emotion, and punished Huni. However, the latter got his act together in the third round. Huni’s skills and temperament quickly got the better of Lerena, who failed to maintain the momentum of he had set in the first round. Meanwhile, Lerena continued to push forward, however, Huni’s exceptional ability to maintain constant pressure over the middle rounds became a bit difficult for Lerena to overcome.

Huni’s jabs proved an effective tool in his arsenal and helped him gain an edge and control steadily in the fight. While he appeared to be a wild card and more adventurous, Lerena failed to be economical and judicious in the fight. Because of his excessive energy expenditure in the initial rounds, Lerena slowly started to break down. Huni’s punches also found their target and left Lerena bleeding from the nose as the latter lost momentum and, as a result, the fight.

The most exciting moment came in the final round of the fight, as Lerena had Huni hurt. But he failed to finish the job, and despite being close to a victory, he couldn’t unload the necessary killing punches. In the end, it seems the emotions got the better of him. The failure of Lerena to finish the fight left even Sunny Edwards dumbfounded.

Read More: Kevin Lerena to Fight in His Mother’s “Honour” on Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou Undercard After Her Saddening Demise

Sunny Edwards fails to see the logic behind Lerena’s final round shortcoming

In a series of posts, Edwards expresses his confusion as to why Lerena couldn’t drop Huni to the canvas and bag a win. “Am I missing something? Thought Lerena was well in that,” Edwards wrote on his X handle.

The British fighter added in a second post, “Yeah I can’t believe he didn’t just keep throwing punches until he won.” Lerena himself acknowledged the same in his post-fight interview with DAZN. He said, “I had him hurt three times but now I am back to the drawing board. I could have finished him but kudos to him.”

What do you make of this fight between Justis Huni and Kevin Lerena at Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua? Let us know in the comments below.

Also Read: Francis Ngannou Breaking the Scale Ahead of Anthony Joshua Fight Has Fans Perplexed – “How Did Dana Let Go of This”