Daniel Dubois shocked the boxing world by knocking out Anthony Joshua in five rounds to become the new IBF World Champion. The 27-year-old Dubois proved to be faster, sharper, and more dangerous than his opponent throughout the fight.
Joshua started on the back foot and found himself in serious trouble at the end of the first round. Dubois dropped him with a powerful right hand in the final thirty seconds, and only the bell saved the former two-time champion from an early defeat.
For the next three rounds, Joshua fought defensively, trying to survive Dubois' onslaught. Despite being knocked down multiple times, 'AJ' showed incredible heart and resilience by getting up each time.
The fifth round saw a brief moment of success for Joshua when he buckled Dubois' legs. However, Dubois quickly recovered and delivered a knockout punch that ended the fight in spectacular fashion.
After the fight, Joshua remained humble in defeat. He congratulated Dubois and explained his loss as a result of "rolling the dice" against a tough opponent. Joshua also confirmed he plans to continue his boxing career.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, shared his thoughts on the fight:
"Well it was the first round it was a huge right hand that AJ shipped in the first round and after that he was fighting on heart and desire. I'm so proud of him because he never gave up. His legs were deceiving him and he kept on trying and at the end of the fourth round he hurt Daniel Dubois and in the fifth round he really hurt Daniel Dubois. Then he got greedy and walked into a right hand and that's all she wrote."
Hearn praised Dubois' performance and acknowledged the unpredictable nature of heavyweight boxing:
"I think a massive, massive congratulations to Daniel Dubois because people doubted him and he was the champion, really the B side, but he deserves credit now as a real champion and that was a great performance. If we're going to lose, losing to a British heavyweight makes it feel better."
Looking ahead, Dubois expressed interest in fighting Oleksandr Usyk again. However, Joshua's team will likely exercise their rematch clause. Hearn commented on the potential rematch:
"I'm sure [Joshua] will exercise that rematch clause, that's a given. He'll need a rest as Dubois is growing in confidence all the time but he'll believe he can hurt Dubois and he'll believe he can beat him."
