Britain’s Daniel Dubois delivered a stunning upset by knocking out two-time world champion Anthony Joshua in the fifth round to retain his IBF world heavyweight boxing title at a packed Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday night.
Dubois floored Joshua in the opening round with a powerful right hand, forcing the referee to administer a standing eight count. The 27-year-old then relentlessly attacked his opponent, defying pre-fight predictions as he dominated the match.
Joshua found himself on the ropes in the second round but managed to survive the onslaught. However, Dubois continued to land devastating blows in the third round, sending Joshua to the canvas again.
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Joshua’s defense crumbled, and after going down once more in the fourth round, he barely survived until the end of the round.
The fight came to a decisive end just 59 seconds into the fifth round, with Dubois securing the biggest victory of his career and leaving Joshua’s attempts to rebuild his career in tatters.
After the fight, Dubois declared, “Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator, I’m a warrior to the bitter end. This is my time, this is my redemption story.”
The fight drew a record crowd of 96,000 spectators, the largest for a British boxing match since World War Two, according to organizers.