Daniel Dubois knocks out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round and defends his IBF heavyweight title in front of a record crowd in London.
Daniel Dubois has defended his IBF heavyweight world title in a spectacular fight at Wembley Stadium. In front of 96,000 spectators, the 27-year-old Briton defeated his compatriot Anthony Joshua by knockout in the fifth round. Dubois won a dominant fight in which he knocked Joshua down several times. This victory marks the high point of Dubois’ career to date and raises questions about Joshua’s future.
First round – first precipitation
The fight got off to an explosive start when Dubois sent Joshua down with a hard right hook in the first round. Joshua, who once wore the heavyweight crown and defeated the legendary Wladimir Klitschko in the same stadium in 2017, struggled to recover from the early blows of his younger opponent. This scenario was repeated in the third and fourth rounds when Joshua went down again.
In the fifth round, Joshua initially seemed to gain the upper hand. He repeatedly hit Dubois hard, but the latter survived the attacks and found the gap for the decisive counterattack. A brutal right hook from Dubois hit Joshua and ended the fight after just 59 seconds. Joshua went down heavily and was unable to get back to his feet.
Daniel Dubois now wants Fury or Usyk
“I am a gladiator. I fight to the bitter end,” Dubois shouted to the crowd after his triumph. “Aren’t you enjoying yourselves?” he shouted euphorically into the audience. The victory not only secured Dubois the IBF title, but also opened the door to future big fights on the world stage of boxing. In particular, a duel against the winner of the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, which will take place at the end of the year, could be on the program.
For Anthony Joshua, it was the fourth defeat in his professional career out of 28 wins. After losing his WBA, WBO and IBF titles to Usyk in 2021, Joshua had hoped to win the heavyweight crown for the third time. Instead, he has now suffered another heavy defeat, which raises questions about his future in boxing.
“I made mistakes today, but I will move on. The die is cast, but I will cast it again.“
Anthony Joshua“I’m a fighter for life,” said Joshua after the fight. “I made mistakes today, but I’m going to keep going. The die is cast, but I will cast it again.” Despite these fighting words, it remains unclear how Joshua will continue after this defeat. A rematch against Dubois is not out of the question, as the contract contains a rematch clause.
Dubois, who had entered the fight as interim champion, was named regular IBF world champion after Usyk relinquished his title in the summer of 2024. With this victory, he confirmed his position as one of the best heavyweights in the world. Focused on his future, he emphasized: “I want to reach the highest level and reach my full potential”.
Joshua faces uncertain future at heavyweight
The fight itself was an impressive spectacle. In addition to the sporting highlights, the atmosphere in the stadium also gave goosebumps. Oasis singer Liam Gallagher fired up the atmosphere before the main fight and got the crowd going with his hits. But in the end, it was Dubois who captivated the audience with his strong performance and created a buzz.
Anthony Joshua, who held the heavyweight title from 2016 to 2019 and again from 2019 to 2021, was unable to find a way to decisively counter Dubois’ attacks. His three previous defeats against Andy Ruiz jr. and Oleksandr Usyk had already left cracks in his career. The defeat to Dubois could now be another serious blow to his future in boxing.
World champion Daniel Dubois ready for the world elite
Daniel Dubois, on the other hand, cemented his reputation as one of the hardest punchers in the heavyweight division with this success. With 22 wins from 24 fights, 21 of them by knockout, he seems ready for the next step towards the top of the world. A possible duel with Usyk or Fury could be the next big highlight of his career.
Text: Andreas Ohlberger