The common proverb, \u201cMoney makes the world go round\u201d, means that money is the most essential, driving force behind society\u2019s activities.<\/p>\n
The phrase implies that financial considerations frequently take precedence over other values including history, which involves analysing evidence to understand changes over time, chronological events, or a person\/thing\u2019s background. <\/p>\n
It helps explain how past actions influence the present and future, but history alone cannot take anyone forward.<\/p>\n
That has been been confirmed by the option taken by wealthy professional boxer, Kevin Lerena.<\/p>\n
He gave away home advantage and accepted a tantalising financial offer to defend his WBC bridgerweight boxing title in Belgium, which is home to mandatory challenger, Ryad Merhy.<\/p>\n
Lerena\u2019s second defence against the Ivorian-born Belgian-French fighter will take place on May 30.<\/p>\n
They will meet for the second time. Lerena defeated Merhy on points after 12 rounds at Emperors Palace Casino near the OR Tambo International Airport on May 13, 2023.<\/p>\n
In that fight staged by the most accomplished African promoter, Rodney Berman, Lerena won the vacant WBC Silver title.<\/p>\n
At that time, the left-handed former race jockey, whose fighting skills are honed by Peter Smith, was the highest paid fighter here.<\/p>\n
He raked in at least a million per fight, and only Berman could afford to pay him that amount because Lerena\u2019s sponsors bought almost all tables of 10 that were sold in those events.<\/p>\n
Before defeating Merhy, Lerena had earned about R10m after his third-round defeat by Daniel Dubois for the WBA heavyweight bet.<\/p>\n
That fight took place in front of 90,000 English fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England on December 3, 2022.<\/p>\n
On March 8, 2024, Lerena was part of a major pay-per-view event in Saudi Arabia, and his purse money for the fight he lost to Justis Huni was not disclosed due to a confidentiality clause.<\/p>\n
In that event, Tyson Fury earned an estimated $50-million (R837.75m) for defeating mixed martial arts fighter Francis Ngannou on points over 10 rounds.<\/p>\n
Ngannou, the French-based Cameroonian, secured a disclosed purse of $10-million (R167.62m).<\/p>\n
Lerena would not confirm or deny earning R4-million. <\/p>\n
Then on July 19, 2025, Lerena is said to have pocketed $500,000 (R8.4m) for the WBC Silver heavyweight title fight he lost on points to Lawrence Okolie at Wembley Stadium in London.<\/p>\n
The married father of four lives a luxurious life, having generated his wealth from the fistic sport he joined in 2011.<\/p>\n
In 2016, Lerena purchased a share in a yearling (horse) named \u201cRoyal Silvano\u201d, which was later renamed \u201cThe KO Kid\u201d, which was his ring name before he changed it to \u201cTwo Guns\u201d.<\/p>\n
At 33, Lerena, who has slotted perfectly into a world where social media and branding have become ubiquitous, loves the finer things in life.<\/p>\n
That is illustrated by his sense of clothes, the cars he drives and the home where he stays with his wife and their four children.<\/p>\n
Raised by a single mom, Lerena is an inspiration to other young people who were not born with a silver spoon.<\/p>\n
He said his mother fought tirelessly to raise them. She passed away in March 2024, just hours before his fight, which he lost to Huni.<\/p>\n