LONDON – Daniel Dubois put on a masterclass to retain the IBF heavyweight title by knocking out former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua in the fifth round in a dominant first defense of his belt on Saturday at Wembley Stadium.
The fight started with Joshua being floored in both the first and third rounds, setting the tone for Dubois’ impressive performance. A powerful straight right hand from Dubois in the fifth round brought an end to the fight as Joshua fell face first, unable to continue.
After the victory, Dubois declared, “This is my time, my redemption story. I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.”
The highly anticipated bout took place in front of a record post-war boxing crowd in Britain, with 96,000 fans in attendance.
Dubois, who became IBF champion after the belt was vacated by Oleksandr Usyk in June, has now solidified his position as a dominant heavyweight in the division.
With this win, Dubois potentially sets himself up for a future showdown with the winner of the rematch between WBA, WBC, and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
Reflecting on his victory, Dubois stated, “I’m a gladiator. I’m a warrior to the bitter end. I want to go to the top level of this game.”
Despite the defeat, Joshua vowed to continue boxing after suffering his fourth loss in the last five years. This loss, however, was particularly stinging as he was saved by the bell in the first and third rounds after being knocked down.
“I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent,” Joshua admitted. “A lot of the mistakes were mine.”
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