Teddy Atlas believes that Daniel Dubois escaped with a victory because his opponent lacked the ability to finish him when he was hurt.
Dubois faced Kevin Lerena on the undercard of Tyson Fury versus Derek Chisora at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and ended proceedings with a 3rd round knockout that came right on the bell.
The result on paper doesn’t tell anywhere near the full story though. The young fighter’s WBA Regular title was slipping through his fingers in the first round after a shot from the South African caught him on top of the head.
Senses scrambled, ‘Dynamite’ Dubois hit the canvas but beat the count. As the round progressed, he took a knee twice, totalling three counts from the referee.
After a tentative second round, Dubois showed the power he’s been hyped to have with a good stoppage – although one that Lerena disputes.
Speaking on his The Fight podcast, Atlas said that a different opponent could have ended things in that first round.
“Thank God that he had a green guy that wasn’t what his record would purport him to be. That he wasn’t a higher level. Because a higher level guy probably would’ve got rid of him. So thank God he was in there with the right guy if you’re on his side of looking at things.”
Lerena’s in the early stages of a heavyweight campaign following a professional career at cruiserweight. The 28-2 fighter has 14 KOs.
The coach and analyst went on to say that Dubois’ home advantage helped him out, certain that if the tables were turned the fight would have been stopped.
“If Lerena was in that condition, the same condition, in the first round, is there any chance on Earth that that referee doesn’t stop it?”
“There it is. That’s the case. Open and shut case, and it’s the truth. But, listen, all the credit to Dubois for the heart he showed, the constitution for getting up.”
It has since been revealed that Dubois suffered a torn ACL in the bout, which perhaps had a part to play in two out of the three counts. He’s expected to be out of the ring for six months.