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The nightmare protégé Oleksandr Usyk believes is the future of boxing
Ahead of his major clash with Daniel Dubois tonight, DAZN News' Derek Bilton has taken a look at the talent waiting to follow Oleksandr Usyk to the summit of the sport.
Don’t sleep on Ukraine stylist Daniel Lapin – the lavishly gifted light-heavyweight chasing greatness who could steal the show at Wembley on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2 undercard on Saturday night.
“Whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first call promising.”
This cautionary observation from English literary critic Cyril Connolly alludes that those who are initially seen as having great potential are often set up for a fall, due perhaps to heightened pressure, media scrutiny, or a misguided sense of their own invincibility.
We are told that Daniel Lapin is Ukraine's next boxing superstar. The country has a long, proud history of producing great boxing champions and Lapin – it is said - could be the next off their impressive conveyor belt.
The Klitschko brothers. Vasily Lomachenko. Oleksandr Usyk. Over the last 20 years the second-largest country in Europe have produced special champion after special champion.
The 11-0 (4) Lapin – who already sits at No 8 in the WBA light-heavyweight rankings – could be the next world champion to hail from Ukraine, a hotbed of boxing despite the chilly winter temperatures in Kyiv.
While he is known as Usyk's protégé – the pair train together and Lapin helped Usyk get ready for both Tyson Fury fights due to his size and mobility – a quick search online suggests that Lapin does not appear to have a nickname.
Given he is a smooth boxing 6’6” southpaw operating in the 175 division, may we suggest 'The Nightmare'?
Lapin has been boxing since the age of six and we are told he had 290 amateur fights.
This weekend faces his first legitimate test in the pro ranks under the famous Wembley arch against the useful Lewis Edmondson. Southampton's Edmondson is a proper test.
'The Saint' holds a win over Dan Azeez and is the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion. Fair play to both men for meeting so early in their respective careers, and this is the type of fight that boxing undercards badly need.
Prospect vs prospect. Lapin is 28, Edmondson a year older at 29.
At stake is the lightly regarded IBF Inter-Continental light-heavyweight belt, but both men know a win at the weekend and they should be rated well within the top 15 of most governing bodies at 175 in the very near future.
The 175 division is absolutely stacked. The masterful Dmitry Bivol still has unfinished business with Artur Beterbiev, while David Benavidez and Anthony Yarde will box in November for the WBC title. Then there are top contenders like Albert Ramirez and Callum Smith also lurking.
Lapin - skill, elegance, guile and courage
Due to its brutal nature, this is not always an easy sport to follow. Ambivalence is a constant companion for anyone who has a conscience involved in the boxing business.
Yet every now and then someone comes along who possesses rare skill, elegance, guile and courage. And our faith in the sport is restored.
Usyk is that guy. A man who the late, great sports journalist Hugh McIlvanney might regard as having “the stuff”. His legacy in boxing in 2025 is beyond secure.
Oleksandr the Great is an Olympic champion who has reigned as undisputed at cruiserweight and heavyweight. And so when Usyk calls Lapin the "future of boxing" then maybe it’s time to listen.
Is the hype justified? Having seen him close up he has what we used to call the Soviet style - long guard with an active lead hand. He does not have obvious power (four wins inside schedule in 11 fights against limited opposition underlines that fact) but he is the type of stylist who prefers precision and timing over sheer blunt force.
He is one for the purists, constantly using lateral movement, possessing a wand for a jab and adept at those pendulum steps made famous by Usyk.
The rhythmic, continuous in-and-out movement has helped Usyk conquer every foe as a professional and Lapin has been learning from the best.
Ukraine's new boxing hope
Usyk’s training camps are known for their sheer intensity (with the odd bit of bad dancing thrown in) and it was his superior cardio down the stretch that won him the Fury fights, and certainly the second Anthony Joshua fight just when the tide seemed to be turning in round nine.
When the glory arrives in any combat sport - and with it the riches and inevitable fame - staying at the top of the food chain is often harder (due to the inevitable distractions and temptations) than the journey to the summit. The ring is honest. You cannot train part-time and win full-time.
Usyk has his hands full this weekend in his undisputed heavyweight title fight with Daniel Dubois.
It’s another pivotal moment for Usyk, an intelligent fighter who will know his time at the top is finite.
Whatever the outcome in the main event on Saturday though it is likely Ukraine – a country ravaged by war in recent years – will still have someone to root for in 2025 and beyond in the shape of the fresh-faced and outlandishly gifted Lapin, who could turn out to be a bit special.
Usyk vs Dubois 2 only on DAZN
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