Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) put on the performance of a lifetime to knock out Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) in front of 96,000 fans.
The time of stoppage was 0:58 of the fifth round. With the win, Dubois retains his IBF heavyweight title. He had fought on June 1 of this year against Filip Hrgović in a fight that had an interim version of the IBF strap. Later on, he was became full titlist when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the IBF title to pursue a Fury rematch.
Joshua vs. Dubois headlined a Riyadh Season card at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Boxing fans around the world could catch the action as a pay-per-view on DAZN and PPV.com. Those in the United Kingdom could also do so with Sky Sports and TNT Sports.
Joshua vs. Dubois is part of Riyadh Season, a Saudi Arabian state-funded entertainment and sports festival. The Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority is responsible for its organization.
The opening round saw both fighters throw out the jab in each other’s face. Dubois was the more aggressive of the two and with only seconds to go in the first, he landed an overhand right that sent Joshua to the canvas. “AJ” got up, but was still on shaky legs when the final bell rang.
In round three, Joshua was hit by a left hand that sent him to the ropes and his gloves eventually touched the canvas. However, referee Marcus McDonnell did not call a knockdown and allowed the fight to continue. Dubois proceeded to land a barrage of punches that eventually did send his opponent to the canvas and cause McDonnell to issue a count. Joshua got up and was able to go back to his corner, but was clearly struggling.
Early in the fourth, Joshua went down again from a right hand. He was down again shortly after, but it was ruled a slip. Regardless, it was still very clear that he had no answer to Dubois’ power. “DDD” continued to pursue Joshua around the ring and it was clear that it was only a matter of time before the fight came to an end.
In round five, Joshua landed a shot that sent Dubois on the retreat. Joshua followed it up with consecutive right hands and appeared to have gotten the upper hand before Dubois countered with a fight ending punch. A right hand that landed precisely on the chin of Joshua sent him and clearly out. Referee McDonnell proceeded to count but Joshua was unable to get up in time, giving Dubois the knockout victory.
It was a fight where Dubois had no trouble landing his power punches. Joshua showed an inability to hold, resulting in him getting hit again and again, particularly with Dubois’ right hand. In the end, it was that very right hand that had Joshua sprawled on the canvas.
Post-fight Interviews
Daniel Dubois
“I’ve only got a few things to say, man,” said Dubois after the fight. “Are you not entertained?!”
“I’m a gladiator, you know. I’m just a warrior until the bitter end. And, I’m just ready to go. I just want to go to the top and reach my full potential.”
“Behind the scenes, you know. The work with my dad. All my family, my strong team here they helped me get through this. God bless you all, man.”
Anthony Joshua
“The opponent,” said Joshua when asked what went wrong in the bout. “Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice at success and we’ve come up short. I want to say everyone at Wembley. I appreciate you coming out this evening…I’m gonna keep my cool and give respect to my opponent.”
“Before I came here I’m always saying to myself ‘I’m a fighter for life.’ We rolled the dice at success and we came up short. I’m going to keep rolling the dice.”
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