Daniel Dubois delivered an exceptional performance against Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium, securing a knockout victory in the fifth round to retain the IBF world heavyweight title. This bout was particularly significant for Dubois, as it allowed him to reclaim his reputation after facing criticism for his previous loss to Joe Joyce . The fight not only showcased Dubois's raw power and technique but also highlighted his resilience in overcoming past setbacks.
Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) sent Joshua spinning to the canvas four times in Rounds 1, 3, 4 and 5 and the image of the two-time heavyweight champion laid flat and counted out at the end left some wondering whether this is it for Joshua.
Joshua, who is the second-highest-paid boxer on Forbes' latest list of highest-paid athletes. (Joshua came in at 16th, with earnings of $83 million for the year, two places below super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, with $85 million in earnings.)
As long as Joshua wants to fight on, big offers will continue to come his way, despite being battered around the ring at Wembley Stadium in front of 96,000 fans and watched by a global television audience.
"Before I came here, I'm always saying to myself 'I'm a fighter for life,'" Joshua told DAZN's Ade Oladipo. "We rolled the dice on success and we came up short, and we roll it again and ... we keep rolling the dice."
In assessing the loss to Dubois, Joshua stated that the champion's aggression was just one factor leading to the defeat as he also admitted to making some mistakes along the way.
"I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent, and secondly a lot of mistakes from my end," Joshua said. "But that's the game. As p—ed off as I am, it is what it is."
Dubois, who can finally claim that he became a world champion in the ring as he retained the IBF title which had been gifted to him three months ago with this stunning victory. The real king of the division remains Oleksandr Usyk who, four months ago, became the first undisputed world heavyweight champion of the 21st century when he won the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO belts in a riveting contest against Tyson Fury.
But, in a typically shameless act of boxing chicanery, the IBF soon stripped Usyk of its title because he was already contracted to fight Fury again in December and unable to box their mandatory contender first. The IBF handed its championship as a present to Dubois, whom Usyk defeated last August, and set up his first defence against Joshua.
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