Daniel Dubois, 27, made a spectacular defense of his IBF world heavyweight title as he stopped Anthony Joshua, 34, in the fifth round in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
Dubois was elevated to full champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title and dominated from the first bell in the all-British clash. Joshua, a two-time heavyweight champion, hit the deck multiple times-once in a first-round blow that had him still reeling through to the end of the fight-and Dubois kept up the pressure, landing a devastating right hook in the fifth round which promoted the referee to stop the fight.
Joshua, now 28-4 in his career, took accountability for his mistakes but asserted he was far from retirement. “We rolled the dice and came up short,” he said post-fight. “I’m a fighter for life.”
Meanwhile, Dubois exuded his excitement from the win, claming this as part of his “redemption story.” “I’m a gladiator, I’m a warrior,” Dubois told DAZN. “I won’t stop until I reach my full potential.”
This dominant performance casts a question mark over Joshua’s future in the sport, while Dubois’ stock continues to rise as he eyes further unification in the heavyweight division.
