Dubois upsets Joshua with devastating KO to retain title

Daniel Dubois put on the performance of a lifetime in a shocking destruction of Anthony Joshua.

Dubois, defending the IBF heavyweight championship for the first time, knocked out Joshua at the 0:59 mark of the fifth round Saturday in front of a record 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London.

Dubois, who was around a 4-to-1 underdog, thwarted Joshua's bid to become just the sixth three-time heavyweight champion in boxing history.

"Are you not entertained?" Dubois said to the crowd after scoring the biggest win of his career. "Are you not entertained?"

Dubois floored Joshua three times before the finish - in Rounds 1, 3, and 4 - and by the the fifth round, the result seemed inevitable. Dubois came out aggressive early, looking to put Joshua away. But 40 seconds into the frame, Joshua buckled Dubois with a right hand and backed the champion up against the ropes, giving himself a chance to pull off a come-from-behind stunner.

Joshua landed two more right hands and Dubois responded with one of his own. And then Dubois beat Joshua to the punch in a wild, fight-ending exchange, crumpling the former champion with a brutal right hand.

"I'm a gladiator," Dubois said. "I'm just a warrior to the end - to the bitter end."

Joshua praised Dubois' skills after suffering another devastating blow to his career.

"I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent, and secondly, a lot of my mistakes from my end," Joshua said. "But that's the game."

Next, Dubois could face the winner of the Dec. 21 rematch between Usyk and former champion Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title.

Dubois has fought Usyk before, losing to the Ukrainian via ninth-round knockout in an August 2023 title bout. Dubois said he "for sure" wants a crack at the undisputed crown in 2025 and is particularly interested in getting redemption against Usyk.

"I'm just ready to go," Dubois said. "I want to go to the top level of this game and reach my full potential."

Dubois got off to a quick start in Round 1, peppering Joshua with punches in the opening moments. Joshua's best shot of the round was an uppercut. In the final seconds, Dubois dropped Joshua with a huge overhand right. The challenger returned to his feet and survived the early adversity.

Dubois came out firing on all cylinders at the start of the second round, landing a flurry of shots in the pocket. He stayed busier than Joshua and had a solid jab.

Joshua picked up the pace in a close third round. But with 15 seconds left, Dubois put him on wobbly legs and then knocked him into the ropes at the bell. Dubois scored his third official knockdown early in the fourth - though Joshua appeared OK - before ending the fight with the highlight-reel finish one round later.

Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said Joshua wasn't the same after the first knockdown.

"After that, he was fighting on heart and desire," Hearn said. I'm so proud of him, because he never gave up. His legs were deceiving him, and he just kept on trying.

"In the fifth round, he really hurt Daniel Dubois. And then he got greedy and walked straight into a right hand, and that's all she wrote. When you're in there with a massive puncher, this is what can happen."

Dubois is now riding a three-fight winning streak and is 7-1 in his last eight outings. The 27-year-old London native earned the IBF interim heavyweight title with an eighth-round TKO of Filip Hrgovic in June. He was then promoted to full champion after Usyk - who defeated Fury by split decision in May to claim the undisputed championship - was forced to vacate the IBF belt.

Joshua's four-fight winning streak came to an end. The 34-year-old from Watford, England, suffered his first loss since 2022 and just the second knockout defeat of his career.

Hearn added that a rematch with Dubois or a fight against Fury - if Fury loses to Usyk again in December - are both options for Joshua's next appearance in the ring.

"(Joshua) will believe he can hurt Dubois, he'll believe he can beat him," Hearn said of a potential rematch. "But full credit to Daniel Dubois. ... It was a great performance."