Photo: – Lenar Perez (14-0, 14 KOs), the future of the cruiserweight division.
I’ve gone outside the box to find the prospect of this month. So, here I am, with a Cuban, who lives in Russia, who happens to be, according to my high-level scouting skills, the future king of the cruiserweights: Lenar Perez.
In January 2023, in Calvados, France, Cuban boxer Lenar Perez encountered a visa issue and was unable to face Jacob Dickson for the WBO Global title. Promoter Djamel Yacouben didn’t lose everything, as EOTTM fighter Albert Ramirez was ready to step in.
But who exactly is the man they call “The Prince of the Ring”? He’s making waves for his sparring sessions with Cyril Gane, for leaving Cuba to pursue a professional career, and for his impressive 100% KO ratio.
After all, he must be talented if his replacement was Albert Ramirez.
Photo: Lenar Perez – IG
The Cuban Trio
The latest generation of Cuban fighters includes several prodigies in the 200-pound division. Mike Perez is a southpaw phenomenon who moved to Ireland, where his power and style led him to fight the legendary Tye Fields, draw against Carlos Takam, and deliver one of the best cruiserweight fights in history against Mairis Briedis.
Yunier Dorticos has 25 KOs in 27 professional wins. He was ahead before being stopped in the 12th round by Murat Gassiev and lost a split decision to Mairis Briedis. Like Perez and Dorticos, both of these Cuban boxers are still active, and we can hope for one last big fight from them.
The third Cuban cruiserweight is already, without a doubt, the best of his generation. Lenar Perez is set to succeed where the other two fell short—taking control of the division.
Photo: Lenar Perez – IG
A Change of Scenery
After a solid amateur career, with victories over Dainier Paro, Geovanny Bruzon, and Emilio Correa, he left his hometown of Holguín, Cuba, and moved to Vladikavkaz, Russia.
He really left the favorite destination of many Quebecers in February to go to Russia. He must love boxing and be determined to go pro to make such a drastic change in his life.
This is a typical path for a Cuban boxer, but he has mastered the fundamentals. Standing 6’5″, he punches frequently and powerfully, and his footwork is on another level. It’s the full Cuban boxing science, but with a big, strong fighter capable of shutting your lights out with a single punch. Among hardcore boxing fans, the latest trend is to say he has the perfect style to beat Gilberto Ramirez.
He started making a name for himself in early 2023. While in France for a fight, he took the opportunity to spar with Cyril Gane. Videos of those sessions went viral, and he intentionally held back to let the French MMA star shine.
Photo: Lenar Perez – IG
Offensive Science
On top of that, he has the courage needed to become a popular fighter. Too often, Cuban boxers (like Erislandy Lara) settle for moving around and landing light punches, like fencers, to win fights.
It’s effective, but it can put the audience to sleep. Despite his mastery of Cuban boxing (closer to Iglesias or Morrell), Lenar Perez also knows how to be aggressive and take his opponent out of the fight with his power. He is both a courageous man and a fearless fighter.
The Cuban government bans professional sports for a simple reason: communism, as it would allow a minority to get rich at the expense of the majority. There have been very few exceptions. We see it with Iglesias in Quebec: a Cuban boxer starts with no fan base and has to start from scratch with new trainers. He must find a team and a promoter willing to invest in him. It won’t be a lack of talent that holds Perez back, but rather his lack of visibility.
His next fight will be announced soon—an eliminator bout for the WBA against the world’s No. 3, Brandon Glanton.
On the Podcast
Here in Canada, we have two ranked fighters in the 200-pound division: Jean Pascal and Ryan Rozicki.
Lenar Perez is represented by Versus Sports, which is also involved in the career of Albert Ramirez.
The winner of the fight between Arsen Goulamirian and Callum Johnson will likely have to face the winner of the bout between my fighter, Lenar Perez, and Brandon Glanton to become the WBA mandatory challenger.
Photo: Vincent Ethier – From left to right: Antonin Décarie, Karim Bouzidi (manager), Albert Ramirez and Camille Estephan
2024-2025 EDITION
