The Test Every Knockout Artist Needs
Right then. While the boxing world stares at Newark and Croke Park, the sharpest matchmaking of the week is happening quietly in Quebec. On Thursday night at the Casino de Montreal, Lenar Perez — sixteen fights, fourteen knockouts, unbeaten, and ranked third in the world by the WBA — defends his WBA Continental Americas cruiserweight belt against Thabiso Mchunu, live on DAZN worldwide and Punching Grace in Quebec.
This is Perez's second outing since signing with Eye of the Tiger, and it is a proper step up in class of opponent — not in danger, but in education. The 6ft 5in Cuban has been blasting out everything put in front of him, and now somebody has finally put a fighter in front of him who has seen it all before.
Why Mchunu Is The Right Kind Of Awkward
Make no mistake, at 38 and with a 25-8 record, Mchunu is past the days of pushing for world titles himself — but The Rock has twice fought for world honours, and the South African southpaw has shared rings with the very best of two cruiserweight generations. He is short, thick-set, awkward, and he makes tall punchers look silly for as long as their patience lasts. Nobody has an easy night against him. That is precisely the point of the booking.
What We Learn On Thursday
Perez has answered every power question — fourteen knockouts in sixteen fights answers that on its own. What he has not yet answered is the patience question: what happens when a cagey veteran refuses to stand still and makes him think for five, six, seven rounds? If Perez forces it and gets wild, Mchunu will nick rounds and drag him into deep water. If he breaks the body down behind the jab, the ending comes on its own.
Luke's Verdict
Let's not beat around the bush — there are levels between a world-ranked 28-year-old and a 38-year-old gatekeeper, and Perez is levels above. But I expect the first third of the fight to be scrappy while the southpaw looks land. Then the body shots slow the old legs, and the Cuban Prince gets him out of there. Perez by stoppage, round seven — and the cruiserweight top ten had better start learning the name. Full card details on our fight cards page.