Daniel Dubois knocked out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium. The IBF world heavyweight champion retained his title in front of a record audience of 96,000 fans.
Joshua tried to become a three-time heavyweight champion. But Dubois stopped him. Both fighters approached the fight in good shape with their new trainers. Fans were expecting fireworks considering both had 45 knockouts to their credit.
The fight lived up to those expectations. Neither fighter has gone the distance in their last few fights. Joshua and Dubois both had knockout losses on their record. Many thought this fight would end early as well.
Dubois came away with a big win. He proved that he is a true world champion. This win also shook up the British heavyweight scene. Joshua missed his chance to enter the elite group. Only five other heavyweights have won world titles three times.
Official judges' scorecards were not needed in the end. Dubois settled things with his fists before they even got into the match. However, here are the stats from Compubox:
Dubois' strategy of throwing voluminous punches was effective. He consistently outworked Joshua, landing 196 punches compared to Joshua's 117. This constant pressure probably played a crucial role in wearing down his opponent and creating opportunities for a finishing surge.
Dubois' key weapon was the jab. He threw 100 jabs compared to Joshua's 82, landing 30% of them. Consistent jabs helped control distance and set up power punches.
Although Joshua was more accurate in his power punches (40% vs. 51% for Dubois), Dubois threw nearly three times as many (96 vs. 35). This amount of power punches from Dubois eventually took its toll and led to a stoppage of the fight.
Interestingly, Joshua's accuracy improved in the later rounds, especially in the 5th round where he landed 83.3% of his power punches. However, this surge came too late to change the course of the fight.
Dubois showed impressive stamina and tenacity. Although Joshua became more accurate in the later rounds, Dubois continued to work his intensity. His ability to land 49 hard punches (including 8 to the body) compared to Joshua's 14 probably contributed greatly to stopping the fight.
