Anthony Joshua tumbled into the canvas during a devastating fifth round, his world turned upside down by Daniel Dubois’ 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 in another seismic shock in 2019; he was outclassed even, twice by Oleksandr Usyk. But never before has he been dominated within a few seconds of the first bell until a comprehensive and painful conclusion. His fourth career defeat, depriving him of a shot against Usyk to become undisputed champion and jeopardising a meeting with Tyson Fury, was dished out by another champion no less.
And that is worth emphasising, as so many scoffed and forgot about that significant status. The man with the belt walked first on the night. Dubois was elevated this summer without a punch thrown in anger inside the ring, yet he seized the moment here to validate that position, defending his IBF 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, allowing Dubois to rush in and launch a series of reckless shots that initially only partially landed. Confidence was solidified though, and he finally connected with a crunching shot as the bell approached, brushing Joshua’s chin to drop him for the first of what would become four demoralising occasions. A hushed silence set in at Wembley Stadium and its British-record of over 98,000 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, now 28-4 as a professional, 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, the sort that could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The sweetly-struck shot allowed his eyes to widen as he hurried in to seize an unlikely comeback.
But a reckless assault was punished by a calm Dubois, who countered 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 and days, to perhaps activate a rematch clause and salvage hopes of a third world title reign.
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.
The heavyweight division has been stuck in a peculiar moment; stripped of uncertainty at the top, thanks to Usyk’s win over Fury this year, the remaining contenders, including the ‘Gypsy King’, Joshua, Dubois and veterans such as Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, are merely jostling for position. The belts have started to scatter, though, 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.
Joshua had 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.
After sampling the very best the sport had to offer, including famed trainers Robert Garcia and Derrick James, it has been Davison who has inspired that spiteful side inside the ring once more, allowing him to dispose of the overmatched Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
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 Fury and 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 certainly obliged here.
“You’re probably asking if I still want to consider fighting. Of course I want to continue fighting,” said Joshua. “We took a shot at success and we came up short. What does that mean now? That we’re going to run away? We’re going to live to fight another day. And that’s what I am – I’m a warrior.”
Eddie Hearn was “sure” his fighter would take the rematch, though the details remain murky. Such a decision could place Joshua in a perilous position and at risk of suffering a second damaging defeat. So what next? His team will study the options, but one more false move and a route back to the very top of the sport may be gone for good.
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