Dynamite finish: Daniel Dubois defied injury to blitz Kevin Lerena in the third round
(Picture: Getty Images)Daniel Dubois dragged himself off the canvas and defied injury to retain his WBA 'regular' world heavyweight title in a dramatic first defence against Kevin Lerena.
Dubois was sent down in shock fashion during a remarkable opening round in the chief support act to the trilogy contest between Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night, being caught flush on top of the head and appearing to sustain a painful leg injury after staggering backwards.
The disorientated Briton twice took a knee and two more counts from the referee during a disastrous opener, then moving into survival mode in the second round as former IBO cruiserweight champion Lerena crucially failed to secure the finish despite being presented with a massive and wholly unexpected golden opportunity.
That allowed Dubois the chance to recover and unleash his own formidable power in the third, sending the South African down with a brutal right hand before quickly finishing the bout with a flurry of spiteful shots including a vicious uppercut.
Dubois revealed after an eventful three rounds that it was his knee that was damaged in the first, with trainer Shane McGuigan believing he suffered a ligament injury.
He will now be sent for a scan to determine the severity of the issue and a potential recovery timeline, with promoter Frank Warren having been hopeful of Dubois fighting again early next year as he builds towards a full title shot.
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