The Cuban cruiserweight first made a name for himself in the amateur system before moving over 6,500 miles away to Russia to begin his professional career in late 2018.
Over the first couple of years, he stayed busy and navigated his way from novice into prospect. However, his progression was slowed by administrative and travel constraints that made it difficult to maintain stability and regular competition.
Not exactly the ideal way to live and prepare for future fights. The now 28-year-old had an ally, Karim Bouzidi, who decided to see if he could help.
“He was in a difficult situation in Russia, left aside by the people who signed him,” Bouzidi told Punchinggrace.com. “He was in extremely challenging living and training conditions at that time.
“I discussed with him and I decided to support him and then I met with him when I sent Albert [Ramirez] to train [in Russia] with [Artur] Beterbiev where Marc [Ramsay] met with Albert for the first time.”
Photo: IG – Lenar Perez
Things progressed when Bouzidi put Ramirez in a fight in Krasnodar in April 2021 and Perez attended.
The help continued and as Bouzidi became more involved in structuring his career, he started fighting on different shows in Paris, Baku, Krasnodar and, most recently, Banja Luka, in Bosnia Herzegovina.
But what he lacked was regular work and a clear pathway to the elite level his talent deserves.
That changed when Bouzidi was able to broker a deal with Canadian promotional outfit, Eye of The Tiger, who are also home to another of his clients, Ramirez, which made things easier.
“We received several offers, but I believed Eye of the Tiger provided the right long-term structure and sporting vision for his development. The priority was stability, progression and the right environment.
Perez (15-0, 14 knockouts) is primed to make his first EOTTM start when he faces veteran former light heavyweight title challenger Isaac Chilemba (27-10-3, 11 KOs) on Thursday night at the Montreal Casino.
Photo: IG – Lenar Perez
In preparation, Perez has spent time training with Mehdi Oumiha, who is the cousin of Sofiane Oumiha the two-time Olympic silver medalist, in Toulouse, in the south of France.
“I sent him there and I trust Mehdi as a coach, he is a very promising and talented coach and I want to give him the chance to grow and have this type of outlet,” he said. “In the next 10 years, he’ll be one of the biggest name coaches.”
From what Oumiha has seen, he likes and believes the sky is the limit.
“The progression is going really well,” he said. “The only little problem is that it’s complicated to find sparring at the level of Lenar. He has been doing a lot of sparring, but we need tougher opposition.
“I believe in Lenar, he has the skills and quality beyond the average boxer. I am sure he can be a world champion.”
Bouzidi concurs with Oumiha on that point.
Photo: Vincent Ethier – Anson Wainwright, Albert Ramirez, Antonin Décarie et Camille Estephan
“He’s an exceptionally talented prospect,” he said. “The progress he has made is visible through his performances and his current WBA and WBC rankings. I believe he has the tools to compete at the highest level in the cruiserweight division. I can see him one day going up to heavyweight, he has the potential for that. He’s a complete athlete.
“Technically there is nothing to teach him. He moves like a lightweight. He doesn’t like to run; he likes to fight. He has everything to succeed and he has natural charisma.”
