DANIEL DUBOIS could be out for SIX MONTHS after suffering a horror ACL injury during a fight he went on to win, Barry McGuigan said.
Dubois was floored THREE times in the opening round of his bout against Kevin Lerena at the start of December.
But two of the knockdowns were self-inflicted, as the British heavyweight took a knee after struggling to stay on his feet.
Dubois, 25, somehow rode out the storm and went on to knock out Lerena, 30, in round three.
It is set to keep him out for half a year, ruling out a mandated title fight against Oleksandr Usyk, 35.
McGuigan, father to Dubois’ trainer Shane, told Pro Boxing Fans: “Well, it’s interesting.
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“Dan has a tear on his ACL, and as soon as we got the news that he had a tear on his ACL, suddenly he was offered the fight – which he can’t have, he can’t box for six months now anyway because of the repair time.”
Dubois was dropped with a shot on the top of his head against Lerena, which caused his knee injury after an awkward landing.
McGuigan said: “He got hit on top of the head the last time, and when he stepped back he tore his ACL and his balance was very badly affected.
“He had to come back from adversity and he showed that he could do that. He kept his cool.
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“Shane’s advice in the corner was great, kept him nice and relaxed, used his boxing skills, and walked Kevin Lerena onto that right hand and the finish was spectacular.”
Dubois is the WBA’s “regular” champion, meaning he is mandatory for Usyk’s full title.
But the Ukrainian is set to unify the division against Tyson Fury, 34, next year.
Although McGuigan prefers a fight against Fury or Anthony Joshua, 33, when Dubois makes his return.
He said: “I don’t think it’s fair to make him fight when he’s unwell, so he’ll need a leave of absence as it were, but he’s ready to fight the top guys.
“I’d rather he fought someone like Joshua or Tyson Fury rather than Usyk, cause Usyk is a bag of tricks and he’s a southpaw, but I’ve no fear of him fighting any of these guys.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
