Daniel Dubois knocked out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium, retaining his IBF heavyweight world title in front of a record-breaking crowd.
The 27-year-old Dubois stunned Joshua with a knockdown in the opening round, setting the tone for the entire fight. Though AJ fought back valiantly over the next few rounds and got up from multiple knockdowns, Dubois finished the job in the fifth.
The loss has led some big names in boxing, including Carl Froch and Bob Arum, to call for the 35-year-old Joshua’s retirement. However, former WBC champion Frank Bruno doesn’t think AJ should hang up his gloves just yet.
“I am disappointed I missed a classic fight which I have now watched 3 times. AJ sadly did not come to the table and Daniel made a meal of him. AJ’s trainers will now have to analyse where mistakes were made. As AJ and his team lost not just AJ.”
Bruno, who won his WBC title at Wembley in 1995 against Oliver McCall, added: “Should he retire? No, if he is healthy and wants to carry on and trust me I would think a different AJ will now come out for the next fight. But let’s not forget Daniel and his team what a job and they should be very proud. Also, British heavyweight boxing proved last night it is the best in the world!”
Joshua’s team has confirmed he’ll fight on, but there won’t be an immediate rematch with Dubois. AJ will wait to see the outcome of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk rematch later this month before deciding his next move.
Dubois won’t be waiting around. He’s set to defend his IBF heavyweight world title against Joseph Parker on February 22.
The heavyweight landscape continues to shift. Fury and Usyk will battle for the rest of the heavyweight titles in their upcoming rematch. The winner of that bout will likely face pressure to take on Dubois in a unification fight later in the year.
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