Britain’s Daniel Dubois destroyed Anthony Joshua’s dream of becoming a three times heavyweight world champion with a fifth-round knockout to retain his IBF belt at a packed Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Dubois dropped his compatriot to the canvas in the opening round with a stinging right, the referee delivering a standing eight count, and the 27-year-old proceeded to tear up the pre-fight predictions as swiftly as he ripped into his opponent.

Joshua, 34, took another hammering in round two but managed to ride out the storm before round three came crashing down around him again.

With Dubois landing more fizzing right-handers, Joshua was literally on the ropes before being saved by the bell.

He could barely stand at the end of the fourth, after going down again with two minutes remaining, and then it was all over in the fifth with the painstaking rebuilding of his career suddenly in ruins.

After landing a few promising blows, any signs of a fightback faded with a right to the chin that sent Joshua down, the former IBF, WBA and IBO champion this time unable to get back on his feet.

“I’ve only got a few words to say: Are you not entertained?,” declared Dubois after the biggest win, and first at Wembley, of a 24-fight career with two defeats.

“I’m a gladiator, I’m a warrior to the bitter end. I want to get to the top level of this game and reach my full potential.

“I’ve been on a rollercoaster ride. This is my time, this is my redemption story, and I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.”

RECORD CROWD

Organisers said a British post-World War Two record of 96,000 spectators attended the Saudi-funded fight at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Among them were Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, singing three songs on his 52nd birthday ahead of a reunion next year, and Ukraine’s WBC, WBA and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Usyk has beaten both Joshua and Dubois already and will fight Britain’s Tyson Fury, also present, in a rematch in Saudi Arabia in December.

Joshua might have hoped to have a crack at the winner of that fight but instead faces an uncertain future with Dubois sending a seismic ripple through the familiar heavyweight landscape.

Dubois said he hoped for another shot at Usyk, who beat him in nine rounds in Wroclaw, Poland, last year.

Usyk previously held the IBF belt but vacated it for the Fury rematch, with Dubois the interim holder and upgraded to world champion in June.

“Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice of success, but we came up short,” said Joshua after his 13th world heavyweight title fight left him with a record of four defeats from 32 bouts.

He had first won the IBF belt in 2016 from Charles Martin at London’s O2 Arena. Joshua then lost it to Andy Ruiz in 2019 but won it back later that year. Usyk then took it from him in 2021.

“We keep rolling the dice. I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent and a lot of mistakes from my end, but that’s the game.”

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said he expected to exercise a rematch clause.

“It’s a dangerous fight because he’s growing in confidence all the time but he’ll believe he can beat him,” he said.

-Reuters

It was an expected performance by the favourite, Anthony Joshua as Daniel Dubois sensationally dismantled him in five rounds on a Saturday night when everything seemed to be wrong with Anthony Joshua.

It was his career worst performance and it happened before the biggest crowd ever to watch boxing at the Wembley Stadium.

Dubois has now catapulted himself into global sporting stardom in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

The 27-year-old dropped Joshua multiple times to retain the IBF heavyweight title and leave his British rival’s career in ruins.

After a storming start, Dubois eventually stopped Joshua with a incredible counter to secure the biggest win of his 24-fight career.

Anthony Joshua will have his first title-seeking fight as he faces fellow British boxer, Daniel Dubois on Saturday at the Wembley Stadium in London.

It is his first title fight since losing his belt to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021.

A win for Joshua on Saturday carries great fortunes. A win makes hm the IBF World Champion. The victory would make him the number one contender to unify the heavyweight division.

Joshua is 34 years old and has an impressive track record. His media presence is huge, especially in the wake of his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021.

In an interview with the BBC, he talked about what he has done to get back so close to success.

“I’ve worked hard and I’ve been through a lot of pain and I’ve worked hard to get better,” he said. “I hope those experiences don’t happen again. As you saw that night [after the second Usyk defeat], I don’t like to lose,” he said.

Now another door is opening for a champion whose career shows no signs of slowing down.

Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) takes on fellow Englishman Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs). Dubois is 27 years old.

A victory for Joshua would place him in the elite group of boxers who have won the world heavyweight title three times: Vitali Klitschko,Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Michael Moorer and Muhammad Ali. A place among the greats.

Joshua’s career spans twelve years. It began with the 2012 Olympic gold medal, fittingly at London 2012. It may seem risky, but fans and the boxing world see it as a stepping stone to the fight everyone wants to see: A potential showdown between Joshua and former champion Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs), 36, who faces Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) in a rematch on 21 December.

However, it is all up in the air because if Dubois wins on Saturday, the British legend could be derailed once again. Fury would also have to beat Usyk in his next fight for the big fight to happen. Either way, there are plenty of possibilities. Can you see Joshua and Usyk meeting for a third time?