Meet Oleksandr Usyk’s 6ft 6in training partner branded ‘future of boxing’ by Ukrainian superstar

As Oleksandr Usyk enters the twilight of his career, Daniel Lapin is poised to take the proverbial torch for Ukrainian boxing.

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.

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.

In a quick-fire interview with TNT Sports, the undisputed heavyweight champion branded Lapin 'the future of boxing'.

And if his amateur success is anything to go by, then Lapin could go on 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 marvelbet369.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.