Daniel Dubois stunned Anthony Joshua with a huge KO victory at Wembley on Saturday evening.
Dubois, who was defending his IBF heavyweight title for the first time in front of a British record 96,000 crowd, floored Joshua three times in the opening four rounds before the 27-year-old ended the fight with a devastating counter right hand in the fifth.
The first knockdown from Dubois came with a crashing overhand right hand in the final minute of the opening round which sent Joshua to the canvas. Joshua wearily made it to his feet and fortunately for him, the bell rang before Dubois could close in and cause any more damage.
Following a further onslaught from Dubois, Joshua was down on the canvas for a second time at the end of round three and was saved by the bell once again.
After being battered by Dubois for four rounds, Joshua could be heard telling his trainer Ben Davison before the fifth: ‘I live for moments like this.’
Joshua also called Dubois ‘s***’ whilst sat on his stool.
But a thrilling end to the fight came in the fifth when Dubois initially wobbled after taking a heavy punch from Joshua.
As Joshua closed in, Dubois countered with a huge right, which left his opponent laying on the canvas and unable to beat the count.
When asked what went wrong after the fight, Joshua replied: ‘The opponent.
‘Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice and we came up short.
‘I’m p*****. You know I’m ready to kick off in the ring. But I’m going to stay cool and stay professional, and give the respect to my opponent.
‘It’s a bit of a mix, I had a sharp opponent but there were a lot of mistakes from my end.’
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said: ‘He was fighting on heart and desire and I’m so proud of him because he never gave up. His legs were deceiving him and he just kept on trying.
‘At the end of the fourth round he hurt Daniel Dubois, and in the fifth round he really hurt Daniel Dubois. And then he got greedy and walked straight onto a right hand, and that’s all she wrote. That’s what can happen when you’re in there with a massive puncher.
‘He never gave up. He never stopped trying to get up even when he couldn’t get up.’
Asked who he wanted to fight next, Dubois said: ‘Anyone… Usyk.’
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, who were both in attendance at Wembley on Saturday night, are due to fight in their rematch in December.
Meanwhile, the defeat raises questions over Joshua’s future in the sport as many were tipping him to fight the winner of Usyk’s rematch against Fury next year.
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