Daniel Dubois made the first defence of his IBF World Heavyweight Title in emphatic fashion, bullying and stopping Anthony Joshua in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.
Both men have lost to Oleksandr Usyk in the past and benefitted from him vacating the IBF belt, allowing Dubois to be elevated and put it on the line tonight.
The underdog legitimised his status as champion in five rounds, dropping ‘AJ’ – who never really looked at the races other than a flash of success just before he was knocked out – on multiple occasions. His jab was crisp and hurtful, his movement aggressive and his shots thrown with serious intent.
While Joshua licks his wounds, it’s thought that Dubois may now be set up to face the winner of the Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury in December of this year. The Ukrainian was ringside for the action and, despite backing Joshua for the win pre-fight, told Boxing Social that it was ‘no shock.’
“Yes good performance [by Dubois]. No shock, it’s boxing. It’s boxing guys.”
Dubois announced post-fight that he would like a second run at Usyk after losing by stoppage in mid-2023. His plans may be blocked for two reasons: promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that Joshua has a rematch clause that he will now consider activating and Usyk has made it clear that the only fights that interest him are against Fury or ‘AJ.’
Whether or not ‘AJ’ does in fact call for the rematch remains to be seen. He was thoroughly outfought tonight at the national stadium.
