Anthony Joshua was stunned by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium, suffering the most conclusive loss of his career inside five rounds.
‘AJ’ was betting favourite stepping through the ropes against newly-elevated champion Dubois, who was putting his IBF Heavyweight World Title on the line for the first time.
The 27-year-old flipped the script immediately, hurting and dropping Joshua in the first and never letting him off the hook thereafter. He ended it emphatically in the fifth with a perfectly timed right hook following a moment of success for Joshua.
That defeat put an end to an impressive run of form for the two-time heavyweight champion, who had scored three straight stoppages of his own in the lead up, the last of which came against former UFC superstar Francis Ngannou after he took Tyson Fury the distance.
Speaking to Sky Sports Boxing prior to his first round knockout of Renan Ferreira to mark a return to MMA, Ngannou said he hadn’t expected Joshua’s attempt at becoming a three-time champion to go that way but wasn’t surprised.
“If you know the sport you know that everything can happen in the heavyweight division. So I wasn’t surprised. I didn’t expect that outcome, but still wasn’t surprised. Everybody knows that Dubois has the knockout power.”
Asked about his former foe’s chances in a rematch, Ngannou isn’t counting him out just yet.
“I don’t know. It could be the same way. Nobody knows. It can go either way.”
Talk of the second fight has lost some steam recently, but word is expected soon as to any progress. Dubois is expected to defend his belt in February of 2025 regardless.
