Daniel Dubois knocked out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium in London. The fight ended with Dubois becoming the IBF heavyweight champion of the world.
Dubois took control from the start. He established himself in the center of the ring while Joshua struggled to find his range.
In the final seconds of the first round, Dubois landed a powerful right hand punch that sent Joshua into a knockdown.
Joshua got up, but he was in trouble. In the second round, his legs wobbled. Dubois was pressing him, but Joshua managed to stand.
In the third round, Joshua still couldn't stand on his feet. Dubois landed a body kick and just before the gong, he sent Joshua to the ground again for another knockdown.
Things got even worse for Joshua in the fourth round. He fell to the canvas twice, although one of the punches was ruled a foul. Despite being knocked down, Joshua was practically bullying Dubois at the end of the round.
In the fifth round, Joshua landed a hard right jab. But Dubois responded with a terrific punch that finally sent Joshua down. The referee stopped the fight when Joshua failed to recover on the count.
After the victory, Dubois shouted to the crowd:
"AREN'T YOU HAVING FUN? I'm a gladiator. I want to go to the highest level and reach my potential. I'm not going to stop until I reach my potential."
Frank Warren, Dubois' promoter, talked about what's next for the new champion:
"We'll sit down and think about it and we'll have to see what the outcome of the December 21 fight (between Usyk and Fury) will be. But he needs to stay busy. And he can improve, he has a lot more exciting things ahead of him."
The win puts Dubois in a strong position at heavyweight. For Joshua, it's a major setback that leaves his future uncertain. After the Usyk vs. Fury fight on December 21, the situation in the heavyweight division could change even more.
American fans saw the fight on DAZN, while British viewers could choose between DAZN, Sky and TNT.
