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Anthony Joshua tumbled into the canvas in the fifth round, his world turned upside down by Daniel Dubois and his effortless power, compounding a nightmare evening to leave him with a critical decision. The ramifications of this dramatic evening in London remain unknown, but Joshua’s future is more uncertain and compelling than ever before.
Yes, he’s been hurt and taken out before, by Andy Ruiz no less in another seismic shock in 2019, he was outclassed even, twice by Oleksandr Usyk. But never before dominated within a few seconds of the first bell until a comprehensive and painful conclusion. A beating dished out by the champion no less.
And that is worth emphasising, as so many scoffed and forgot about that status, the man with the belt walking first on the night. Dubois was elevated without a punch thrown in anger inside the ring, yet a hungry Dubois seized his moment to validate his position, defending his heavyweight title over five lopsided rounds before delivering one of the most crushing counters in the heavyweight division’s history.
Everybody knew Dubois was heavyhanded, yet Joshua was rattled within 30 seconds, as Dubois rushed in, launching a series of reckless shots that only glanced his opponent. Confidence was solidified though, and he finally connected with a crunching shot, brushing Joshua’s chin to drop him. A hushed silence set in at Wembley Stadium and its British-record 96,000 crowd awaited a stunning upset.
The one-sided contest continued into the second and third rounds, with a nasty left hook to Joshua sparking yet more chaos as the favourite crumpled. Pressed into the ropes, Dubois unloaded more shots to force another count.
But Joshua is nothing but resilient and with every second that passed on his feet, doubt started to creep in about the outcome.
Indeed, Joshua even landed a crisp right of his own in the fifth, and with his eyes widening, he hurried in to seize an unlikely comeback.
But a reckless assault was punished by a calm Dubois, countering with a perfectly-timed right that left Joshua in a crumpled mess to end an unforgettable evening on the latest stop of Riyadh Season and Saudi Arabia’s boxing takeover.
As you walked down Wembley Way hours earlier, you were greeted by a tunnel of Joshua posters emblazoned with ‘Say Less’. He will need to find words in the coming hours, to at least activate a rematch clause.
Joshua was returning to his spiritual home, or at least a type of venue that has become synonymous with his meteoric rise and those iconic moments throughout his career. ‘AJ’ has filled stadiums with ease for more than a decade, but this was a first fight of its kind since rebuilding in arenas and Riyadh following the first loss to Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2021.
And while Dubois was not entirely alien to such an environment, having battled Usyk in Poland at Stadion Wroclaw, Joshua had already emerged victorious in an unforgettable clash with Wladimir Klitscho by his current age and truly felt like a beloved fighter once again. But Dubois was not unsettled by the occasion.
The heavyweight division was currently experiencing a peculiar moment; stripped of uncertainty at the top, with Usyk prevailing over Fury this year, the contenders, including the Gypsy King, Joshua, Dubois and veterans Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, are merely jostling for position now. The belts have started to scatter as a consequence of the sport’s absurd politics rarely aligning with the champion’s desired route or possessing the required patience to celebrate one true king.
And these British heavy-hitters could thank Usyk and his contractual obligation to rematch Fury for this occasion happening at all and a meeting with the face of British boxing.
This time for real, though. A notorious spar years ago, which Joshua concedes saw Dubois catch him with a good one, has been the source of gossip for years, with suggestions the blow was so significant it prematurely ended their time training.
There was little doubting the intentions of both men here though. Dubois has routinely absorbed plenty of damage, against Joe Joyce, Filip Hrgovic and others, while Joshua has rediscovered a menacing edge under the tutelage of Ben Davison, a trainer maligned in some boxing circles, yet relentless in his ability to inspire progress and development in many fighters.
Joshua, too, has experienced that after sampling the very best the sport had to offer following a number of transatlantic adventures. Yet it is Davison, not Robert Garcia, Derrick James or anybody else, who has helped him rediscover that spiteful side inside the ring, disposing of the overmatched Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in quick time.
But that side was absent here, as boxing royalty was left shocked around this famous ring. The legendary Roberto Duran, pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford and heavyweight stars Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk were among those revelling in an event that epitomised the trajectory of the sport under the vision of Saudi Arabia. A Liam Gallagher concert served as an odd chief support to only underline that.
If Joshua’s cutting remarks to Dubois in the build-up, including the vicious threat to introduce a chair to his rival’s head, demanded respect, then his rival most certainly obliged here.
“I came here, I’m a fighter for life, you roll the dice and come up short, I’ll keep rolling the dice,” Joshua said afterwards. “A fast opponent, a sharp opponent, but that’s the game. As pissed off as I am, it is what it is.”
And while Eddie Hearn said he was “sure” his fighter would take the rematch, Joshua must analyse the risk at stake here. Another beatdown of that nature could spell the end of his glittering career.
