IBO cruiserweight champ Kevin Lerena has suffered a hand injury while sparring in his training camp in Namibia and the fight against WBA king Ryad Merhy, set for July 17 in Brussels, is now off.

The promoter, Alain Vanackere, working closely with agent Philippe Fondu, is now looking for a substitute to save the date.

Before the deal with the # 2 ranked (WBA) Lerena came along, Fondu worked hard to make a deal with Yunier Dorticos, the man who was Merhy's mandatory challenger, but never got a concrete answer. 

IN OTHER NEWS: San Antonio’s featherweight prospect, Ricky “El Castigo” Medina (10-0, 6 KOs) remained undefeated with a dominate unanimous decision victory against a game Omar Castillo (6-3, 3 KOs), an eight-round bout that took place this past Saturday, June 19th, on the undercard of Jermall Charlo vs Juan Macias Montiel, from the Toyota Center, in Houston, Texas.

“In boxing you must stay calm when adversity presents itself,” said Medina. “I got caught with a right hand, but wasn’t hurt, and hit the canvass off balance. I knew I had to dig deep to overcome the knockdown and dominated the rest of the fight. I’m surprised Castillo was able to handle the punishment I was giving him in the final rounds. He showed great heart and I’m a better fighter after fighting him.”

Medina, who is managed by Greg Hannley of Prince Ranch Boxing, and promoted by Rick Morones of TMB Promotions, faced adversity for the first time in his career as he had to get up off the deck from a flash knockdown in round two. Medina, who was a decorated amateur, dominated round one, and made the proper adjustments needed to take over the rest of the fight.

“A true champion will always get back up and find a way to win,” Greg Hannley said. “Other then the flash knockdown, it was a dominant performance.  I’m happy with Medina’s performance and I’m looking to get him right back in the ring, hopefully next month or August.”

“I’m very happy with Medina and how he held his composure in this fight,” stated Rick Morones. “He showed all the great qualities of a veteran fighter, event though he’s only in his tenth pro fight.  I’m very thankful to everyone at the PBC for putting us on.  We have big plans for him. He’s on his way to some big fights.”