Oleksandr Usyk’s teammate falls over ropes twice in bizarre win on Daniel Dubois undercard
Oleksandr Usyk’s teammate Daniel Lapin was bundled over the ropes twice in a bizarre win over Lewis Edmondson on Saturday night.
The pair squared off in the second of three Ukraine vs England bouts on the Usyk-Daniel Dubois undercard at Wembley Stadium.
3
Lapin nearly fell into the ringside seatingCredit: Queensberry/Leigh DawneyEngland’s Solomon Dacres outpointed Ukraine’s Vladyslav Sirenko in a short-notice upset earlier in the evening before Lapin levelled the tally ahead of the main event with a majority decision win.
After a cagey opener, the action started to open up in the second half as both men planted their feet and let their hands fly.
In the seventh stanza, Lapin was sent tumbling over the ropes and almost fell into the ringside seating twice in a truly bizarre minute of action.
Dave Allen, on commentary duties for talkSPORT, was left baffled at ringside as he watched Lapin dangle in mid-air.
READ MORE ON BOXING “Embarrassing to be honest, that is the only word I can think of, he is looking for a way out,” said Allen.
“I don’t think he wants to be there, to be honest.
“I don’t think he’s wanted to be there for a few rounds now.
“I thought he was looking for a way out, to be honest, he was looking for a way to go over.”
Lapin improves to 12-0 in victory, while Edmondson falls to 11-1.
The Southampton boxer looked stunned when the scorecards were read out.
3
Lapin was left hanging in mid-airCredit: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
3
The Ukrainian got his hand raised via majority decision in the endCredit: Queensberry/Leigh DawneyOne judge had it even at 95-95 while the other two scored the bout 96-94 in Lapin’s favour.
It marks a significant setback for the Billy Joe Saunders-managed fighter, who scored a career-best victory over Dan Azeez last October to announce himself on the domestic stage.
The win earned him the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight belts.
But after falling to the first defeat of his career, he will have to go back to the drawing board.
