Daniel Dubois Crushes Anthony Joshua in Five

It wasn’t the shocker of all shockers, but it was a pretty big surprise to see how easily Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) handled Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) en route to fifth round knockout in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.

Making his first defense as full IBF heavyweight champ, Dubois looked focused and fully in control of a mind that has sometimes been accused of wandering and/or losing resolve. His technique, which has also sometimes been called into question, looked tight and as sharp as it’s ever been.

All of that, however, could’ve been significantly aided by the fact that Dubois hurt Joshua with the first big punch landed and that the former three-belt unified heavyweight champ never seemed to completely recover from that shot.

But as “in command” as he was, Dubois could never afford to coast with the lead as Joshua continued throwing shots with bad intent. Even amid the cavalcade of wobbly legs and knockdowns or near-knockdowns, the former champ remained dangerous and even managed to buzz Dubois on a couple of occasions, notably, seconds before Joshua walked into what would ultimately be the bout’s kill shot in the fifth round.

All in all, Joshua would be sent to the canvas, officially, four times in the losing effort– in rounds one, three, four, and five.

“I only have a few things to say, ‘Are you not entertained!’” Dubois told the buzzing Wembley crowd after the fight. “It’s been a long journey. I’m grateful to be in this position. I’m a gladiator, and I’m a warrior that fights to the bitter end. Behind the scenes, the work with my dad and a strong team helped me get through this. I have been on a roller coaster and this is my redemption story.”

For Dubois, the win sets up a likely shot at the winner of the upcoming Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury heavyweight title bout in December.

Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth round of their August, 2023 bout– a contest mired in controversy due to a fifth-round belt line shot that dropped Usyk and seemed to have him down for the count, but was waved off by referee Luis Pabon as a low blow.

Since that setback, however, Dubois is 3-0, with inside-the-distance victories over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and now Joshua.

Joshua, meanwhile, goes back to rebuilding and rebranding after Saturday’s tough loss. Coming into this bout with a 4-0 record after a pair of consecutive points losses to Usyk in 2021-2022, the two-time heavyweight champ was expected to move on to the winner of Usyk-Fury after dealing with the underdog Dubois.