Daniel Dubois scored a sensational knockout victory over Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium to retain his IBF heavyweight title.
Dubois landed a fantastic shot in round five of the contest to claim the win and keep hold of his belt, scoring the upset and denying Joshua the chance to become a three-time heavyweight champion.
Dubois stunned Joshua in the opening round of the fight, landing a number of big shots to begin the contest before then dropping AJ with a massive hook in the dying seconds.
Joshua got back to his feet and saw out the round, but it was clear that he was still dazed in round two, with Dubois continuing to dominate and catch Joshua with several huge punches that rocked the challenger.
It looked like the contest was over in round three when Joshua hit the canvas once again, but he showed great heart to continue, despite further trouble in the fourth round.
Joshua then landed a big shot in round five that seemed it could change the direction of the bout, but Dubois ended the bout with a massive punch in round five, as AJ was counted out and Dubois retained his IBF heavyweight title.
It’s an incredible turnaround for Dubois, who just 13 months ago came up short in a fight against Oleksandr Usyk, and he was thrilled to claim the biggest win of his career.
“I’m a gladiator. I’m a warrior until the bitter end. Behind the scenes the work with my dad and my family and my strong team have helped me get through this. I’ve been on a rollercoaster and this is my redemption story.”
For Joshua, it’s the fourth defeat of his professional career after two losses to Oleksandr Usyk along with a defeat to Andy Ruiz, and he was disappointed to come up short.
“Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice for success but we came up short. I’m going to keep my cool and keep professional and give respect to my opponent. Before I came here I always said I’m a fighter for life. I had a sharp opponent and there were a lot of mistakes from my end but it is what it is.”
Promoter Frank Warren has worked with Dubois since his debut back in 2017, and he was ecstatic to see his fighter come out on top.
“It was a phenomenal fight. I always felt it would be Hagler-Hearns and that what’s it was. It takes two people to make a great fight. AJ showed his heart until the end, but it was a brilliant fight. I’ve had faith in my man from the beginning, and now he’s done it.”
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn revealed after the bout that Joshua may exercise his rematch clause for the fight, and he felt that the first round was what set the tone for the clash.
“A huge right hand that AJ shipped in the first round and after that he was fighting on heart and desire. He never gave up and he kept on trying. At the end of the fourth round he hit Dubois and then in the fifth he really hurt him. He got greedy and walked onto a right hand.”
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