Daniel Dubois pulled off a stunning upset against Anthony Joshua in their heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium in September. The clash ended with Dubois stopping Joshua in the fifth round, claiming the IBF World Heavyweight Title.
The fight started with a bang. Dubois caught Joshua off guard, landing a powerful overhand right that sent the former champion to the canvas in the first round. Joshua struggled to regain his footing after that initial knockdown. He hit the deck several more times before the referee waved off the contest in the fifth.
Joshua came into the fight riding a wave of momentum. He had strung together impressive wins over Francis Ngannou, Otto Wallin, and Robert Helenius. But Dubois proved to be a different beast altogether. The younger fighter had been tearing through the division, adding Joshua's name to a list of notable victories that included Jarrell Miller and Fillip Hrgovic.
The shocking result has sparked talk of a potential rematch. Dubois seems open to the idea, but not everyone thinks it's a good move for Joshua.
Zhilei Zhang, the Chinese heavyweight known as "Big Bang," shared his thoughts on the situation. Zhang, who lost to Joshua in the amateur ranks during the London 2012 Olympics, had this to say:
"I can't really say I'm disappointed because as a boxing fan myself I look at it from a fan's perspective. Joshua has been on top of the pyramid for years and when you're on top of the food chain that definitely changes your mentality a bit."
Zhang went on to express concern about Joshua's mental state after the loss:
"This defeat, I don't know where it puts him mentally, but I think the rematch will be a worse-case scenario for Joshua. I don't think he is ever going to fight me in the near future after this loss. We'll see what happens but I strongly recommend he doesn't take this rematch."
The Chinese fighter, who had long hoped for a professional rematch with Joshua, now believes that chance might never come. He added:
"I have been saying for years I want to test his chin, but Dubois did the job for me, but after seeing the result I don't want to test it any more. He's going to do everything he can to avoid me now."
As the dust settles on this shocking upset, all eyes will be on Joshua's next move. Will he seek immediate revenge against Dubois, or take time to regroup? The heavyweight division just got a whole lot more interesting.
