Daniel Dubois defeated Kevin Lerena by technical knockout in three rounds last Saturday, in Tottenham, London, and retained his World Boxing Association (WBA) world heavyweight belt in a great performance.

The home fighter, who was in for the first defense of his crown, lived a great drama but was able to overcome and come out with his hand up. Dubois was down three times in the first round and had an ankle injury from the start of the fight.

But the champion knew how to manage the situation and survived that round despite the punishment and pressure from Lerena, who was trying to seize the moment and finish Dubois early in the fight. 

But Dubois adapted little by little and in the second round he was already fighting backwards and trying to counterpunch the South African, while in the third he managed to connect a right hand that sent Lerena to the canvas. The challenger got back to his feet but he was hurt and Dubois knocked him down again, a situation that the referee considered the end of the fight and decided to stop it.

Dubois showed that he is capable of overcoming adversity and got a hard fought victory in a heroic performance. The champion now has a record of 19 wins, 1 loss and 18 knockouts, while Lerena has 28 wins, 2 losses and 14 knockouts.