The heavyweight bout between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois on Saturday night at Wembley Stadium in London was scheduled for 12 rounds but concluded much earlier than expected, ending in just the fifth round. Dubois successfully defended his IBF heavyweight title by knocking out Joshua with a powerful right hand to the chin, following up on a dominant performance where he had already knocked Joshua down four times.
With this victory, Dubois, now 27 years old, improves his record to 21 wins and 3 losses. He is set to face the winner of the upcoming fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21. Joshua, at 34 years old, suffered his fourth professional defeat, bringing his record to 28 wins and 4 losses.
In the post-fight interview, Joshua acknowledged his opponent’s skills, stating, “I had a sharp opponent and a fast opponent… a lot of mistakes from my end.” In response, Dubois described himself as “a gladiator” and emphasized his resilience even when hurt.
The event attracted a large crowd of 96,000 fans, and notable celebrities such as Conor McGregor and members of the boxing community, including Tyson Fury, were present. Fury expressed his anticipation for the fight, describing it as a clash where both fighters would be aiming to knock each other out.
The night also featured other significant matches. Hamzah Sheeraz achieved a TKO victory over Tyler Denny, while Joshua Buatsi won a split decision against Willy Hutchinson to claim the vacant WBO light heavyweight title. Anthony Cacace scored a unanimous decision against Josh Warrington, retaining his IBF and IBO super featherweight titles, and Josh Kelly secured a majority decision win over Ishmael Davis after a tough bout.
In a surprising upset, Josh Padley defeated Mark Chamberlain by unanimous decision in their super lightweight matchup, adding to an eventful night of boxing.