Daniel Dubois did what few believed he could do Saturday night at Wembley Stadium in London.
The 27-year-old IBF heavyweight champion retained his title by scoring a surprising KO victory over Anthony Joshua in front of a Wembley record 96,000 fans.
In case you missed the KO, here’s the exciting final sequence that showed Joshua on the attack after seemingly hurting Dubois but running into a hard counter right hand that ended the fight.
The moment of success Joshua was having before he was stopped was arguably the singular instance of positivity he enjoyed during the fight. Dubois dropped Joshua four times in the fight.
The champion clipped Joshua in the first round with a right cross, and DAZN captured this remarkable shot at the point of impact.
Joshua was outboxed in the second but stayed on his feet. In the third, Dubois dropped him again, and it seemed clear he was on his way to the upset victory.
Joshua tried to find his way back into the fight in the fourth but wound up on the canvas for a third time. Finally, in the fifth, Joshua hurt Dubois with a hard right hand that forced the champion backward.
Joshua followed him, seemingly looking to unload. He landed another hard right hand near Dubois’ left temple. The champion seemingly timed Joshua’s next right hand and countered with a shorter version of the same punch that dropped the challenger on his face.
Coming into the fight, Joshua was a minus-425 favorite, and Dubois a plus-350 underdog. The loss denied Joshua an opportunity to become a three-time heavyweight champion, dropping his record to 28-4.
Anthony Joshua’s Last 5 Fights:
- Loss against Daniel Dubois by KO at Wembley Stadium, London, England on September 21, 2024
- Win against Francis Ngannou by KO at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 8, 2024
- Win against Otto Wallin by RTD at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 12, 2023
- Win against Robert Helenius by KO at O2 Arena, Greenwich, on August 12, 2023.
- Win against Jermaine Franklin Jr by unanimous decision at O2 Arena, Greenwich, on April 1, 2023.
The win legitimized Dubois’ title distinction and improved his record to 22-2 with 21 KO.
Daniel Dubois’ Last 5 Fights
- Win against Anthony Joshua by KO at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on September 21, 2024.
- Win against Filip Hrgovic by KO at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 1, 2024
- Win against Jarrell Miller by TKO at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 12, 2023.
- Loss to Oleksandr Usyk by TKO at Stadion Wroclaw, Wroclaw on August 26, 2023.
- Win against Kevin Lerena by TKO at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham on December 3, 2022.
After the fight, Dubois, a man of few words, spoke about his win.
Joshua was gracious in defeat. He credited Dubois, but he acknowledged that he had made some mistakes.
Looking ahead, Joshua immediately expressed a desire for a rematch and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, also spoke about that concept.
It’s unlikely we’ll see the rematch before the end of the year, but Joshua will likely want another shot at winning the heavyweight title for a third time.
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