As Oleksandr Usyk enters the twilight of his career, Daniel Lapin is poised to take the proverbial boxing torch for Ukraine.
The 6ft 6in light heavyweight is off to a perfect 11-0 start to his professional career and has turned heads on Usyk’s undercards.
Instagram – Oleksandr UsykLapin and Usyk grew up together in Crimea[/caption]
His blistering first round knockout win over Octavio Pudivitr on the prelims of Usyk and Tyson Fury‘s inaugural encounter earned him a No.10 ranking with the WBA.
And Usyk anticipates his training partner will soar higher yet.
During a quick-fire interview with TNT Sports, the undisputed heavyweight champion branded Lapin ‘the future of boxing’.
If his amateur success is anything to go by, then Lapin could be on course to fulfil his mentor’s prophecy.
During his vested days, he won seven national Ukrainian titles and a bronze at the European Championships.
However, his ambitions of boxing at the Olympics were cruelly snatched away from him when he was driven out of his homeland of Crimea by the Russian invasion in 2014.
“A military invasion and occupation inevitably impact the lives and careers of athletes in Crimea,” Lapin told talkSPORT.com.
“After 2014, I lost the opportunity to compete in the World Championship, the Junior Olympics, and ultimately the Olympic Games. Fighting under the Russian flag? No, thank you.”
The war almost turned him away from boxing altogether, but the 27-year-old fell back in love with sport after moving to Kyiv to train with Usyk.
“Over the four to five years after moving to Kyiv, I had no motivation to do anything,” he added.
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“I have always loved boxing. However, there was a time when I lost my passion for amateur boxing due to its political issues and corruption.
“Professional boxing is an entirely different world, and I’m grateful to Usyk for his help and mentorship…
“We’re both from Crimea, which is now occupied by Russia.
“Several years ago, Usyk helped me move to Kyiv and start my professional boxing career.
“Since then, he has been my mentor in both boxing and life.”
Usyk and Lapin have known each other since they were kids.
Lapin’s father was Usyk’s first boxing coach while his older brother Sergey is ‘The Cat’s’ team director and co-founded the boxing social media platform ‘Ready To Fight’ with the future first ballot Hall of Famer.
Now, Lapin hopes to follow in Usyk’s footsteps and repay the faith he has placed in him.
