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. 

After spending 2023 establishing himself at bridgerweight, Lerena tried heavyweight again at the start of 2024. But a close loss to Justis Huni last March had Lerena considering a return to the 224lb division.

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.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.