DANIEL DUBOIS was saved from a little-known rule that would have seen him LOSE to Kevin Lerena.
The 25-year-old Brit was floored THREE times in the first round at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
GettyKevin Lerena knocked Daniel Dubois down three times in the first round[/caption]
ReutersDubois put Lerena down twice in the third round before it was stopped[/caption]
The North London crowd thought it was about to witness a major heavyweight upset on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s trilogy with Derek Chisora as the WBA regular champion dragged himself back to his corner after a nightmare opening three minutes.
Somehow he managed to recoup in the second round as Lerena’s momentum slowed.
And in the third Dubois then completed the turnaround as he dropped South African twice before referee Howard Foster waved it off.
But fans were up in arms about the outcome because of the WBA’s clear rule on someone being knocked down three times in a round.
Their rulebook clearly states: “It is critical to note that in bouts governed by the WBA rules three (3) knockdowns in the same round automatically end the bout by TKO.”
However, Dubois escaped because the British Boxing Board of Control – who sanctioned the fight – does not acknowledge the three-knockdown rule for bouts in Britain, so the fight was allowed to continue.
SunSport has contacted the BBBoC for comment.
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Fans were also left furious for another reason, though, after the first round came to an end 12 seconds early.
Dubois was on his knees and looked to have injured his ankle before referee Foster signalled the end of the round earlier than he should have.
It was a bizarre sequence of events which led to Dubois retaining his WBA crown.
He now has a professional record of 19 wins and one defeat – with his only loss coming to Joe Joyce in November 2020.
Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk was in attendance for Dubois’ win over Lerena.
And Dubois may be a future opponent for Usyk if the undisputed clash with Fury does not get made – especially with the Gypsy King potentially requiring elbow surgery after beating Chisora.
As the regular champion, Dubois is in line for a shot at Usyk’s WBA super title.