Daniel Dubois stopped Anthony Joshua in the fifth round of their IBF heavyweight title fight at Wembley this past weekend. The fight drew a record crowd of over 96,000 people.
Dubois dropped Joshua four times before the referee waved off the contest. The outcome surprised many, including former champion Oleksandr Usyk, who watched the fight from ringside.
Usyk shared his thoughts after the bout:
"Yeh I not believe [it], I [thought] Anthony [would] win. This is boxing, this is good fight, congratulations Dubois."
Usyk knows both fighters well. He beat Joshua twice on points to win and then retain the WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight titles. Last August, he defended those belts against Dubois, stopping him despite a controversial low blow.
The Ukrainian recently became undisputed champion but vacated the IBF belt, which Dubois now holds after his win over Joshua.
At 34, Joshua's future in boxing looks uncertain. He made costly mistakes and didn't seem himself in the fight. While many question if it's time for him to retire, Joshua has stated he'll fight on. He might try to get a rematch with Dubois.
When asked about Joshua's career prospects, Usyk kept his thoughts to himself:
"I don't know. I don't think about it."
Usyk's own plans are set. He'll rematch Tyson Fury in December. Before Joshua's loss, Usyk had said AJ was the only other heavyweight he'd fight after Fury. Now, that trilogy bout seems off the table.
